A Gentleman's Evil
by OneWhoCan'tWrite
Summary: In a time where Arad is run by six evil rulers, Empyrean is the only safe haven. But all is not well when a man, lusting after thrills, kidnaps two girls and jumps down to Arad. The girls' only hope to return to Empyrean lays in the hands of York, the "evil gentleman." *UPDATE AUGUST 19: Story is now COMPLETE.
1. Arad

Chapter 1: Arad

What if Arad was no longer what people knew it to be? After centuries passed, Arad was transformed into a place where only evil scum thrived. Every inch of snow, dirt, and concrete was infested with bloodshed. The only safe haven was Empyrean. The Magatha was left in Arad, and many years as well as money were spent on fortifying the defenses of Empyrean so that no man or monster could reach the safe haven. But even though Empyrean was the only safe place to live, it did not rule out criminals living there. Some individuals turn to a life of crime, some detest the life they currently live, some want adventure, some want a thrill, but most are caught and jailed before any harm could even be done. However, there was a day where a tragedy happened. And it all began on a sunny day.

"Stop that man! But be careful of the hostages!" An officer yelled.

Police officers were following a man named Trake throughout Ghent. Trake was on a motorcycle with two female hostages. He held a small child on his side, with an older girl on a side car. The hostages were tied and had tape over their mouths. The police didn't shoot for it was too risky. A wrong shot could hit the girls. Hitting the driver could cause him to lose control of his motorcycle, leading to a possible crash of civilians and harm to the hostages.

"Hahaha! Can't do a godd***ed thing to me, can you?" Trake taunted.

"We need reinforcements! A blockade to stop him from going into Sectors 5, 7, and 8!" A police officer radioed.

As the officers continued to follow Trake, more and more vehicles started to appear, blocking off various streets. Trake changed routes every few seconds, concerned with getting trapped.

"More reinforcements! We can't let him escape!" The same police officer exclaimed into his radio.

"D***, they're piling on the backup. There's only one chance for me." Trake said, turning into a street.

Trake headed into a more open area, a marketplace of sorts. However it didn't take long for the police officer to learn what Trake was doing.

"He's heading for the cliff! We need to block him off, PRONTO!" The officer yelled.

Trake accelerated to the cliff, it was his only choice on escaping. The police were right behind him. They were catching up, only meters behind Trake's motorcycle. Reinforcements couldn't come fast enough, and after only a few seconds, Trake stopped and he was staring off of the cliff, the ocean shining underneath.

"Don't even try," A police officer said while holding a gun, "just let the girls go and there's a chance you'll be alive."

"What makes you think I'll just let the girls go?" Trake responded.

"What makes you think you'll live if you decide to do what you're planning? There's no choice, either you live or die."

"Hmph, I'll be living, but not in that city."

Trake pulled out a flash grenade and a regular grenade out. He threw both of them at the crow of police officers. While the police officers jumped away, he got a parachute and took the older girl out of her seat and jumped off the cliff.

"Dammit!" A police officer yelled.

"What do we do now?" Another one asked.

"Notify the parents of those hostages. There's nothing we can do now. They'll need a miracle if they hope to come back alive." Another one replied.

Trake didn't open his parachute while falling down to the ocean below. When he and his hostages touched water, they continued to fall. Farther and farther they went, it seemed to never end. Suddenly, they could see light. They fell to the light, closer and closer with each second. Once their heads were passed the light, they were able to breathe. But there was another problem. The ocean they were in was actually in the sky, and as such, they were now currently falling thousands of feet.

"Good thing I have this parachute!" Trake said.

He opened it up and had a smooth descent, although the landing was a bit rough as they landed in a forest. He dropped the girls onto some bushes while he got caught in some trees.

Once he got on his feet he said, "This is just great! And further more, it seems you guys are alive, too."

A look of lust was apparent on his face. As he got closer, a man appeared from behind.

"Hello, ladies and gentleman." The man said.

"Who's there?" Trate quickly turned around.

"My name is York." The man walked closer. He was tall, wearing a black suit and top hat, with white hair lying underneath. Small, round glasses sheltered his eyes and white gloves covered his hands. He was very much like a Male Gunner. His cane echoed with every step.

"A pretty boy, ay? What do you want?"

"I just want to know what business you have for being here."

"What does it matter?

"I'll ask again, what are you doing here?"

"Listen buddy, I do whatever the heck I want. I don't need to answer you."

"...Look here now. I'll ask a third time. What are you doing? I recommend you answer me now, or there will be some very unfortunate consequences."

"You know what?" Trate pulled out a gun, "I already have enough of y-"

And like that, Trate was dead. York's cane hid a sword, which was used to go through Trate's heart. York took the sword out and sliced off Trate's head. It was a very unfortunate sight for both the hostages, especially the little one. York then walked to the hostages...


	2. The Hideout

Chapter 2: The Hideout

York walked to the older girl and raised his sword. The girl braced herself for the sword to cut her, but she was never hit. When she opened her eyes, she found that her ropes were cut off. He then cut off the younger girl's ropes. The girls stood up and dust themselves off.

"What are your names?" York asked.

"W-well I'm May," May stammered with nervousness, "and this is my little sister, Annabelle."

"T-thanks for saving us," Annabelle said, holding onto May's arm.

"Annabelle? So sorry you had to see such a frightful sight, my dear." York replied. "So how did you two get into such a predicament?"

"He tried to rob a bank, which unfortunately was the same bank we were in. We couldn't resist since he had a gun. He tied the people closest to him up so that they couldn't attack him, and since my sister and I were the closest to the door, we were tied up as well. He demanded one of the bankers to get money but before the banker even moved, police sirens could be heard. He panicked and decided to grab my sister and me. The police chased him and he jumped off of a cliff. We fell into the ocean but then we fell out of the ocean. He had a parachute and so we landed here. The rest, you already know." May told the tale to York.

"You said he jumped off of a cliff? Where were you exactly?" York questioned.

"Well, we were in Empyrean." May replied.

"Empyrean..." York said, studying both May and Annabelle.

"Um...yeah. I'm sure you've heard of it. In fact, I think you look like those male Gunners we see all the time." May said.

York quickly brought his sword close to May's neck and said, "Don't you dare affiliate me with those people! I may be from Empyrean, but I refuse to belong in the same group as them!"

"O-okay..." was all May could muster.

"Don't remind me of those people unless it involves their deaths. I can easily kill you just as fast as I did to him." York pointed to the dead Trake.

"Can I...can I ask why you hate Gunners?" May asked nervously.

York lowered his sword and sheathed it. "I do not hate all Gunners." He began. "I have made friends who were Gunners. One of my partners is a female Gunner. No, I only hate a certain group. I saw them kill my friends and even some of my family."

"I'm...I'm sorry for your loss." May said, feeling Annabelle's tight grip on her arm.

"Hmph. Anyways, if you want to go back to Empyrean, you should follow me." York turned around and started walking. "You can also choose to go on your own, but I doubt you'll be able to handle your sister and yourself all alone."

May considered everything around her. _He's right. From what I've heard, Arad's a dangerous place, and he's proof of that already. I can't possibly protect myself and my sister, so we would have to depend on him. But York...he's terrifying. We have to go with him though. _She looked at Annabelle.

"He's our only chance." May said. Annabelle returned a slight nod and they both followed York. The trees around them were quiet. Some were chopped down and only stumps remained. Some looked twisted, bark slowly peeling off with dark, green moss at the base. While most looked fine and even healthy, no birds or insects could be heard.

"So where exactly are we?" May asked after a while.

"To get the most obvious out of the way, we're in Arad. To be more specific, right now we're in Lorien Forest. We'll be reaching Elvenguard soon, which is where I reside." York explained.

"From what I've heard, Arad is supposed to be full of evil criminals and the lowest of the low villains. But if that's the case, why are you helping us?" May questioned.

"I assure you, I fit in with the description. Being nice does very little here, most likely resulting in death. But I like to think of myself as the least evil. We can expand upon this once we reached our destination.

York was a peculiar man. _I wonder how you can consider yourself the least evil if you can kill a man so swiftly, as well as threatening to kill a teenager and a child, _May thought. _On the other hand, if he is the least evil, then that means everyone else is even worse than him._ They continued to walk for a little while longer, reaching Elvenguard relatively fast. There were remains of some metals, carts, and weapons scattered around. York walked past them and walked up to a random tree, looking just like every other tree. However, doors opened up and York looked back to May.

"Camouflage, my dear. We can't just have a hideout in the open, especially considering where we are." York said.

They walked into the hideout and the doors closed behind them as they walked downstairs. The hideout was not what one would expect. The inside of it was luxurious, like one would expect in a mansion. Where they came in, they could see a living room and a kitchen, with a staircase leading to a second floor. The living room had an expensive looking rug, an extremely detailed coffee table, a soft and comfy couch, a big flat screen TV, a fireplace, and many other details. The kitchen had checkered floor tiles, a remarkably large refrigerator and many pantries and storage closets, filled with ingredients and cooking wares. Voices could be heard.

"Wonder who those other people are." One voice said, somewhat booming and deep.

Through a hallway that was connected with the living room, two people entered, one was a man and the other was a woman. The man was big in physique. At a look, it seemed as though he could lift a five-ton boulder with ease. He had no hair, except for the back of his head. He had a square like head with amber brown eyes and a gruff looking beard. The woman was a female Mechanic, much like the female Gunners in Empyrean. She looked strong-willed with good posture, had jade-green eyes that showed determination but also consideration, and long, flowing blond hair. In Empyrean, she would be a role model for all to look up to, but as she lived in Arad, nobody would try to follow her.

"So what do you got? Some slaves from one of the other rulers?" The big man questioned.

May had a thought of disgust at the question, offended that she and her sister were thought of as slaves.

"Well I don't really see how the little one could be one. Doesn't really seem like she could do anything." The woman said.

"Now now, they're not slaves. May and Annabelle, I would like to introduce you to my friends, Brunt and Melidia. Brunt is the muscle guy, but also a jokester. Melidia is the smart, technical genius of the group. I'm decent myself with technology but I must give credit where it's due. Brunt and Melidia, I introduce you to May, the girl who is looking over her little sister, Annabelle." York introduced.

"Hey girls, pleasure to meet you." Melidia said. "It'll be nice to have some female friends, albeit not what I had in mind."

"So how did you guys meet up?" Brunt asked.

May explained to them how they got into such a dilemma.

"We were lucky that York came when he did." May ended.

"I'm wondering something. York, why did you save them?" Brunt asked.

"Must I need a reason?" York asked back.

"There's gotta be. We've been friends forever now. I know that it's not like you to do something like this." Brunt pushed forward.

"Well I do have my own reasons. Will I expand upon them? No." York said, unchanging. "Now then, it's almost time for dinner. I'll go get everything ready."

He walked into the kitchen, getting out cooking wares like skillets and pans and ingredients. Brunt grumbled and walked to the couch in the living room.

"That's just how York is." Melidia told us. "He's really mysterious. Despite us being friends for years, there are still some things we just don't get about him."

"I'm kind of curious. Are you going out with York?" May asked.

Melidia laughed, "I don't think York will ever look for love. Why? Do you think we look good together?"

"I think so. York seems strong, though somewhat stubborn and cold at times. You seem more relaxed but also strong. He also reminds me of the male Gunners we have in Empyrean, though I'm not supposed to say that to him, and York told me that you were a female Mechanic. I feel like you guys probably compliment each other." May explained.

"When you say it like that, it does make sense. But like I said, York's not looking for love. You know, I haven't heard from Annabelle at all."

"Oh, she's normally very shy. After all that's happened, I think it made her even more so."

"Well, don't worry, Annabelle. As weird as it is to say, you're in good hands with York." Melidia went to the entrance of the kitchen, "You mind if I show them the guest bedroom, York?"

"Go ahead." He replied, busy with cooking.

"Follow me." Melidia told May and Annabelle.

May and Annabelle followed Melidia upstairs and into a hall. The hall led to other halls and, at first glance, it seemed as though one could very easily get lost. However, there were signs and indications of rooms and places so getting around was no problem. They reached a door that said "Bedroom."

"This is where you guys will be staying." Melidia said.

"This place is pretty huge. Who designed the place?" May asked.

"York and I." Melidia replied.

"So were you guys expecting visitors to come? I mean, Arad is supposed to be filled with brigands and outlaws, right?"

"That's true, but you'll probably have to ask York. When we were designing the place, I made sure we had three rooms. York insisted on having several more bedrooms, however, and sometimes you can't really argue with him. Although it does have some benefits I suppose. It's another room for privacy, and it could possibly make for a good hiding place. If there's an intruder, then he or she would have a heck of a time checking all the rooms we have here. The same can't be said if there was an entire group of people trying to invade us, but we have plans for them anyways." Melidia explained.

"Well thanks for showing us the room. I didn't expect this kind of treatment." May said.

"T-thanks." Annabelle said as well.

"Hey, she speaks. Haha, don't worry," Melidia patted Annabelle's head, "you'll get back home soon. Anyways, I'll be configuring some stuff. You'll know when dinner's ready. A little bell can be heard in every room. See ya."

Melidia walked away and May and Annabelle went into the bedroom. The room was vividly gold and warm with lights. Two beds were placed against a wall, spread out far enough for an extra bed or mattress in between if needed. A bathroom was located next to the entrance of the room. A large TV was connected to a wall facing the beds, with closets to the right of the TV.

"You have to admit, for us being in Arad, we're getting off a lot better than I thought." May said to Annabelle.

"Yeah...How do you think Mom and Dad are right now?" Annabelle asked.

May sat down on one of the beds, "It's been lingering on my mind, but I don't really want to talk about it or think about it too much. But I still can't get it out of my head. The only thing that Mom and Dad are probably thinking about is how we're dead." May shook her head.

Annabelle sat next to May and huddled close. "We just need to get back as quick as we can, right?"

"...Yeah."

After a while, a ding could be heard and a robotic voice saying "Dinner" followed. May and Annabelle went out of their room and followed the signs to the kitchen. As they got closer, an amazing aroma filled the air.

"You're in luck, we're having some steak and creamy mashed potatoes with garlic and cheese. And for dessert, a choice between carrot cake and red velvet cake." Melidia said as they entered the kitchen.

"Wow, that sounds amazing, but where do you guys get the ingredients?" May asked.

"I steal them." York said bluntly.

"People have these kind of ingredients?"

"Well yes, a lot of the rulers have some fields with which they grow vegetables or breed animals. And you can't possibly expect at least the three of us to eat below average food all the time. We have to make sure we're at our best should we need to fight. We also have some technologies and a small field to get our own food, but it's a good and fun sport to steal from others, at least I think so."

They gathered at the dinner table nearby and started eating. The steak was tender and melted everyone's mouths. The mashed potatoes had no gravy, but the cheese and garlic were topped so well that there was no need for gravy.

"You made all of this, York?" May asked.

"Pretty much, yes." He replied.

"Where did you learn to cook?"

"Self taught. After years of experimenting and trial and error, I had the general idea for many different dishes."

"And believe me, you're lucky you don't have to eat his cooking when he first started learning." Brunt joked.

May and Annabelle giggled a little, though Brunt and Melidia had quite the laugh. Even York had a little smile. Annabelle was slightly getting more confident as she sat at the table, listening to everyone. They had a conversation going, though it was mostly Brunt and Melidia asking about their times in Empyrean. Not much, if any, was said about Brunt or Melidia's past and especially not York's. The cakes were extremely moist and fluffy, and by that point, Annabelle became a lot more confident than before.

"Right then, May and Annabelle, it's about time for you to rest for training tomorrow." York stated.

"Training?" Annabelle asked.

"Yes. You guys are in Arad, therefore you'll need to learn how to defend yourself. I'll be accompanying you to help you get back to Empyrean, but I can't do everything. And yes, even little Annabelle must learn. Kids knowing how to wield weapons is nothing new in Arad. In fact, one of the major rulers is only 11 years old." York explained.

"What? That's crazy!" May exclaimed.

"But also very true. We can show you tomorrow. For now, you must rest. We'll need to get started very early." York replied. He got up, put his plate and utensils in the sink and went to his room.

"York being assertive as always." Brunt commented.

"He is right though. You girls need to get some rest. It's the best thing to do right now." Melidia said.

May and Annabelle put their dishes and utensils in the sink and went back to their room. May still couldn't get the thought out of her head. The thought that there was an 11 year old criminal who was a ruler, who was much worse than York, who no doubt killed many people was terrifying.


	3. Nightly News

Chapter 3: Nightly News

A woman's voice echoing cries, a man searching desperately for something but to no avail, tears turning to waterfalls, gravestones, and then black emptiness. May woke up, drenched in sweat and panting heavily. _It's a nightmare. That's all it was, just a nightmare, _May thought. She looked over to her sister, though Annabelle was sound asleep. May tried to drift back to sleep but couldn't. After a while though, she noticed a faint noise outside of the room. Since she couldn't sleep, she decided to investigate. She exited the room and followed the noise, making sure she was quiet all the way. She made it out to be a TV, and as she got closer to the source, she could hear a voice singing something.

_"Temperatures dropping,_

_Try us..._

_With colder feelings..._

_Black ice and hidden lusts..."_

May figured that the voice could not have been Brunt, which made it all the more weirder to hear that York was singing. She giggled a little at the idea of Brunt singing, however. As she got closer to the living room, she thought about having an excuse on why she was there, but it appeared that York was aware of her presence.

"Couldn't sleep, my dear?" York asked.

May walked into the living room and asked, "How did you know I was here?"

"I could slightly hear you walking. Years and years of practice of being aware of your surroundings. Brunt and Melidia usually don't wake up around this time and since you and your sister are new to the place, it was a good guess that one of you had things on the mind."

"I couldn't sleep. Nightmares caused me to wake up. I couldn't go back to sleep but I heard the TV so I thought about checking it out." May sat on the couch where York was sitting. "The closer I got, I also heard you singing."

"Yes, I do sing songs from time to time."

"So what are you watching?"

"Tragedies. Deaths and the like."

"What? Why would you watch that?"

"Because tragedies give me such a thrill. I love seeing how different the deaths can be. Drowned by the ocean, shot by his own son, she used the poison in his tea and then kissed him good bye. It's my kind of story. Believe in a perfect world all you want, but it's simply impossible. People have some kind of a thrill when a death has occurred. Sure, it is sad when your loved ones die. But those random strangers you see, the people you have never heard about, subconsciously I bet people have quite the stimulation. I have no doubts that even if a death is extremely morbid, people still enjoy it."

"That's just terrible! You can't honestly believe that people enjoy the deaths of others!"

"Like I said, the ones you loved will surely be missed, there's no doubt about it." York pulled out a pocket watch and flipped it open. "I have my own missed ones, of course." He closed it and put it back in his pocket. "But you can't honestly believe that people want a peaceful world with smiles, sunshine, and rainbows. We grow up from these idealistic stories, otherwise we would still be fascinated by them. Every story, there is a protagonist and an antagonist. The antagonist may die or suffer in some way. The protagonist could die as a plot twist. No matter how lighthearted it is, there are hidden meanings."

"I don't believe it. There's no way we would ever feel such things for the dead. There are people who are good just to be good. They have no need to feel that kind of thrill."

York stared and analyzed May like he dead before in the woods. His piercing blue eyes felt like sharp, cold probes. He pulled out his pocket watch and repeated the action from before. "If that's what you truly believe, then so be it. I will believe what I want."

They were silent for a while. The only noise came from the TV buzzing with activity. After a bit, May decided to spark a conversation again.

"Hey, you said that you had people you missed, right? Was it because of their deaths that...caused you to be like this?" She asked.

"Half of my family died in Empyrean to a group of Gunners. The other half escaped somewhere, but as that implies, I do not know their locations. Both my parents and one brother died. The survivors, not including me, were my other brother and two sisters. As for me, I was supposed to die. One of them took me and threw me over a cliff, expecting me to drown. But much like you, I entered Arad. I was about 10 years old at the time, I was bloodied already from the beating that the Gunners gave me, and even though I landed on some bushes softened my fall, I was about dead by that point. That's when I met Brunt and Melidia, who were working together to survive. They were arguing which caused me to wake up. Brunt wanted to kill me quite badly, thinking I belonged to one of the other rulers at the time. Melidia, on the other hand, wanted to give me a chance. She got the final say over it, but Brunt kept a close eye on me. They helped me heal up, or at least Melidia helped and Brunt reluctantly followed. During that time, I explained to them what happened, and now after all these years, I'm the leader of the group. The deaths of my parents and brother definitely left me in a terrible mood, but I couldn't focus on that for too long. Brunt, Melidia, and I had to survive. We hid and slept in trees, and childhood to adult life, we killed, robbed, and lived to make our lives what it is now. What do you think happens to people when they experience their first kill at the age of 10? There's no positive outlook from that."

The air felt heavy for May after taking everything in. She didn't know what to say, but what could she really say when she had no experience in such events?

"Oh...well, it seems Melidia appears to be okay." May said.

"She's actually more than okay. All this time, she has been the most optimistic one of the group. I don't know how she stays that way myself, but I don't think she's faking it either. I guess she's one reason why life isn't as bad. And Brunt "The Joker" probably helps too. Makes life more bearable." York took out his pocket watch and repeated the action.

"Sounds like you've gotten better." May said, smiling a bit. "By the way, there's something that I wanted to know. Why do you wear all of that? The suit, the top hat, everything?"

"Hehe, all of this? I took a fancy to it while I was here. I always liked the civilized look it gave, and I suppose it's a little mask to what I actually do all the time." He pulled out the pocket watch once more and repeated the action once more. "In a way, it helps me." A sigh came out of him. "I remember the first time I had the idea of dressing like this. A murder of two adults, some food stolen, and then I found a picture. A man, dressed like a classy gentleman, yet looking so mysterious. A face half-shrouded by a hat and a hand holding a card. That was it for me. I wasn't going to turn out like those Gunners. No, I would do something different. You haven't seen me use them yet, but because of that, I utilize cards to my advantage with the help of some magic." York explained.

"Magic?"

"Of course, my dear. We're in Arad, there's magic everywhere. After all these years, you learn some tricks."

"Oh yeah, I noticed that you kept on looking at your pocket watch."

"...It's nothing important. I just developed a habit of checking it every once in a while. Anyways, you should go back to sleep now. We've talked long enough and it's quite late. I'll be heading to bed soon myself."

"Oh fine. Though it feels like I can actually go back to sleep now. Thanks for telling me a bit about you. Maybe...it helped both of us a bit. Good night." May got up and started walking back to her room.

"Good night." York replied.


	4. Training

Chapter 4: Training

Morning came with the smell of bacon in the air. May woke up first and then Annabelle right after. Naturally, they were hungry and hungrily went to get breakfast.

"You're awake, huh? Bet the smell of bacon was enough to get you out." Melidia said.

"Well it did smell nice." May replied.

"We don't have much time to waste today. We'll be heading over to the Information Room after breakfast." York said, handing May and Annabelle their plate of food.

After breakfast, May and Annabelle followed the gang to the Information Room. Machines and technology filled the place. They all gathered around a table in the center of the room.

"It's time you learn a bit about Arad." York said while pushing some buttons. A holographic map appeared. He pointed to an area near the center and said, "This is where we're at right now, Elvenguard."

"In this area right here," Melidia pointed in the northeast region, "is where you'll need to be in order to board the Magatha and head back to Empyrean."

"The problem is that Rothar is guarding the area." York added.

"Rothar? And what's the Magatha?" May asked.

"Rothar is one of the major leaders that inhabit Arad. As you've already heard, another leader is only a small child. They are not to be taken lightly." York replied.

"As for the Magatha," Melidia started, "it's a ship that can take you up to Empyrean. It used to be impossible to go up to Empyrean but Dungeon Fighters removed the seal that was blocking it."

"Wait, Empyrean is fortified so that no one can enter Empyrean. The Magatha must be what they were worried about. It's fine if it keeps Rothar out, but how are we going to be able to enter Empyrean if they think the Magatha has evil on board?" May asked.

"In that case, we'll have to show them that we mean no harm." York said. "Maybe we can have a white flag, although we wouldn't really be surrendering. We could also probably have a message laid out so that they can see it. However, this depends on whether they check on the people onboard or shoot and ask never. I think we should wave a white flag first just so they actually check on us and then we can show them the message."

"Yeah I think that'll work." May said.

"So it's decided then." Brunt said. "We'll tell you more about the leaders around Arad tonight. In the meantime, you should practice. Today's the only day you have to learn how to shoot!"

"W-wait what?" May stammered. "Only today? But that's not enough time for us!"

"Of course it's not enough time, you think we don't know that?" York replied. "However, you can't stay here for long. Would you really want to stay here longer and prolong your return to your parents?"

"Well...no. I'm just wondering how we'll even learn with only one day."

"You'll learn more than you think. While it's only one day, you'll be practicing for hours. Both you and little Annabelle. While you won't have the skill to be an expert marksman, you'll practice so much that you should be adequate enough to defend yourself against some incompetent henchman. Of course, any of the more skilled ones will be fighting against me."

"Why would there be incompetent henchman?"

"Several of the rulers decided to choose quantity over quality. It's not that they don't have any skilled fighters at all, it's just that they have a lot more lackeys than skilled ones. Probably a ratio of one good fighter for every thirty others. There is strength in numbers, I suppose, but these aren't very good strengths. Other rulers make sure to test their henchmen. Of course, out of all the rulers, I'm the only one to have two partners."

"Kind of surprising that they haven't gotten you yet."

York smiled, "We're just that good. But enough of that, you have to begin. Follow us to the Training Room."

In the Training Room, much could be seen from just the entrance. Revolvers, hand cannons, muskets, pistols, spears, swords, axes, bows and arrows, and assault rifles to name a few. The room was vast. On the walls laid all the weapons that could be used for practice. A shooting range was available with an area that could be changed for different combat situations. At the center there was a rectangular border made from tape for melee matches. Several locations were used to work on survival skills, such as tying ropes, being resourceful and making tools out of nature, and learning which foods were safe to eat.

"This place is huge! It's like twice as huge as my gym in Empyrean!" May exclaimed.

"Beautiful, isn't it? The sight of all of these weapons do give me some joy." York replied. "Anyways, we'll start with the guns. Since it is approaching 9 o' clock, we will practice for 3 hours, rest for an hour for lunch, go for another 2 hours of gun training, and devote the rest of the time to melee and whatever other things that are necessary. Go to the shooting range, I'll go get your guns."

May and Annabelle walked over to the shooting range. Melidia went up to them holding some items.

"You'll need these." Melidia said, giving May and Annabelle each a pair of what looked like cube containers. "They'll help your ears when you shoot. The guns are pretty loud. The huge space around us also makes it easy to echo. Just hold them up to your ears and they'll automatically mold to your ears' shape. Taking them off is easy. Simply grab them and remove them and they'll come off with no problems."

"Thanks." May and Annabelle said.

"Those ear protectors will make it so your beginning shots don't seem loud at all." Brunt added. "However, they'll slowly up the sound so that you can get used to the guns' loud bangs. After all, in the case you do need to use it, you're not gonna have any fancy gear to help your ears, haha!"

York came over and handed the girls some handguns. "Okay then, let's get started, shall we?" York and his friends used the same protectors on their ears. Brunt went off into a room, while York and Melidia stayed to help the girls.

"Brunt is going to be sending up targets later. For now, we'll be handling single, stationary targets. Go ahead and try out your first shot." York stated.

May and Annabelle both took aim and pulled the triggers. May's bullet traveled to her target's waist, while Annabelle's bullet hit the white spot near the waist of her target.

"Not too bad. That wasn't so hard, now was it? Aim a bit higher, May, and see if you can shoot the head. We'll stick with aiming for the head for a little while until we move on to more advanced targets." York said.

"Here, Annabelle, let me help you a bit. You need to figure out how far the target is and adjust your aim." Melidia helped her position the gun. "A little bit to the right and a little higher. Okay, try shooting now."

Annabelle pulled the trigger and the bullet went through the target's chest area.

"Yay, I did it!" Annabelle exclaimed.

"You sure did! Nice job!" Melidia praised. "Now keep on trying and see if you can get it without my help."

The girls shot several more bullets. May got closer to hitting the head, while Annabelle was slowly getting close to the chest. After about three minutes of shooting, May was able to shoot the head. She tried for some more headshots for another five minutes. Annabelle was lucky to have such practice as a child. While she was not able to aim for the head, she was able to consistently hit the chest, good enough to pierce a person's heart if she honed her skills.

"Okay, I think that's it for stationary targets. I feel that you two have gotten used to aiming and shooting. We'll go for moving targets next." York said.

"Man, my arms are getting pretty tired from holding it so much." May sighed.

"Me too. Can we take a little break?" Annabelle asked.

"You can. You'll have five to ten minute breaks after each session. Give yourself some stretches. Melidia has also brought us water. They're on the table behind me. Melidia set up the table as well while you were busy shooting." York turned to Brunt, who could be seen through a window. "Brunt, we'll be moving on to moving targets. Make sure they're moving horizontally."

"Got it. I'm hoping we get to the fun part soon." Brunt replied.

"Fun part? What's the fun part?" May asked.

"Hahaha!" Brunt laughed. "You'll see later."

After the small break, May and Annabelle moved onto moving targets. Some time passed before they moved past the horizontal moving targets. This time the targets moved diagonally, and so the process repeated itself. After that, the targets moved erratically, anywhere and everywhere was a possible location. It was about time for lunch, and so they all took a break.

"You're not doing too bad." Melidia said, eating a sandwich.

"Yeah, I'm surprised at how much progress we made." May replied.

"We should show Mom and Dad when we get back!" Annabelle exclaimed.

"Oh I don't know about that!" May laughed. "I don't think they would be too happy to learn about us practicing shooting in Arad."

"But maybe they'll be happy to know that we can fight. Maybe we can become Dungeon Fighters when we're older! I could be like Melidia!" Annabelle clapped.

"Aw, ain't that sweet." Melidia patted Annabelle's head. "I got myself a fan."

York smiled, "See, you would be surprised to find just how much you can learn when you practice for hours."

"You're right." May said. "I never thought I'd be able to shoot this well. Granted, I still miss from time to time and most of my shots appear to be at the sides of the torso, but honestly, it's a lot better than I would've been before all of this."

"Of course, we still have one more important part for gun practice." York began.

"Yeap. And it's gonna be a tough one." Brunt added.

"What do we have to do?" May asked.

"You will have to shoot targets that will also try and attack you." York replied.

"How's that going to work?" May questioned.

"I'll be in the room you saw earlier, and I'll be controlling the targets." Brunt began. "I was in there earlier to make some adjustments. I can control how fast they move, how fast they'll shoot, and when to shoot. In a way, it's like playing a video game for me. You guys are the enemies. The things that the targets shoot at you are harmless, but if any of them hits you, a notice will point out that you've been hit. It'll also show just how dangerous the shot is, and any lethal hits will end the training. This then means that you start over. Basically you want to survive for as long as possible. However, as time goes on, it also gets harder, so surviving a long time can reflect just how long you'd survive in the real world."

"Sounds interesting." May said.

"Just make sure you take it seriously. There's no actual repercussions in here. Out there, you also have York looking after you. But in here, York's not helping at all, so you gotta do your best to survive." Brunt replied. "Also, the situations will vary from time to time. The first time you start out, it'll be just like when you were shooting the targets before, except the targets are aiming back. However, later on, you'll also be in the shooting area itself, with the targets surrounding you. I'm throwing everything I can think of at you. Charges from the side, a surprise attack from the back as you're busy in the front, a whole gang going after you, the whole deal."

"We'll do fine!" Annabelle declared.

"Seems to me that she also picked up your optimism, Melidia." York said.

"You think so?" Melidia asked.

"Haha, yes." York replied. "Anyways, let's get started, shall we?"

May and Annabelle took to their regular spots and prepared themselves. Brunt went to his controls. May and Annabelle survived for a few minutes. It was relatively easy, as they only had to move left and right, and there were some small columns between the shooting spaces where they could hide. More and more came, however, and they were overrun.

"Not too bad!" Brunt roared. "I think you guys can go to the next level."

"You'll have to go inside the shooting range now." York said. "But first, make sure you wear these bullet-proof suits."

Melidia handed the girls their suits.

"They won't protect every single area of your body, but you should at least be safe in case you accidentally shoot each other. These will also be what you will be wearing when we begin our journey." York added.

"For now, you'll wear them on the outside. Tomorrow, you'll wear them inside your regular clothes. It'll be sure to surprise a few henchmen if they ever get a bullet on you, wondering why you didn't get hit and giving you some time to retaliate." Melidia said. "Well then, good luck!"

The girls put on their bullet-proof suits. They entered the shooting area and started off easy. Only three targets appeared at first. However, it already felt completely different to them. It was a strange feeling to actually run in any direction, while targets actively aimed for you. It was no longer just running side to side. The three targets went down and seven more took their place. The targets shot faster and they got closer to hitting the girls. May helped Annabelle quite a bit, but it was natural for an older sibling to do so. 15 targets now appeared and their evasive moves were better than the previous ones. The girls worked hard, taking out eight targets. The remaining seven went straight for Annabelle, and May quickly grabbed her and jumped out of the way. They both turned and shot the group of targets.

"I'm sending out a special one. It's the only one for this round, but he's got some protective gear and a big Gatling gun." Brunt told them.

A rather big target appeared. The sound of its Gatling gun starting up could be heard. May and Annabelle quickly ran while the target turned and shot hundreds of bullets at them. They shot the target several times, but the bullets only damaged its armor slightly. After only about 13 seconds, the girls were shot. "You have died." A computer voice said.

The girls sat down, huffing and panting.

"That last one was too hard." May said.

"How do we win against it?" Annabelle asked.

"Sometimes it is impossible to win. Other times, you just have to have the strength, endurance, and skill to win." York replied. "Anyways, that wasn't bad. Have some water and get some rest. I know it would be foolish to start again right away."

May and Annabelle took a small break. For a while longer, they practiced trying to survive in a "real fight." Afterwards, they had to practice melee evasion. Bullets wasn't the only thing they would have to dodge. They practiced some melee combat, but not a whole lot. It was better for them to fight with guns and learn more advanced melee combat when they were older. As well as melee combat, they also learned some survival techniques. Then they went and enjoyed dinner. It was a nice ending after such rigorous training.

"You guys will definitely want a nice, hot bath later." Melidia started. "Because of all of those exercises, you'll no doubt be feeling sore, either later or tomorrow. However, the beds have a healing agent that slowly heals your body while your sleep, so it should bring the soreness down by a lot. We can't have you being unable to fight, now can we?"

"Sounds good." May said, smiling.

"Here's hoping for a successful return to Empyrean!" Brunt said, holding up a mug of beer.

They all held up their drinks. "Here's hoping!" Everyone except York exclaimed.

"I hope you girls can take what you've learned today and keep them for the rest of your lives. I also hope that you improve, but I can't say what you'll do when you're older." York said.

"Don't worry, we won't ever forget!" Annabelle asserted.

York smiled, "Well then, I will go and get our supplies ready for tomorrow. Melidia, I'll need your help with some of them. Brunt, you can go ahead and wash the dishes."

"Oh come on! I hate cleanup duty!" Brunt said.

"You'll live." York replied.

Brunt grumbled as he went to wash the dishes. The girls giggled behind his back. The day was nearing its end and everyone went to bed. Sleep was much needed, though excitement and worry were on May's mind. Nonetheless, she slept soundly. The journey ahead of them would be a great one.


	5. The Journey Begins

Chaper 5: The Journey Begins

Morning came and everyone went to eat breakfast. It was the day, the day where May, Annabelle, and York start their adventure to Empyrean. While May and Annabelle were only there for a few days with York and his friends, they developed a bond. A bond that was sure to chain them together.

"After breakfast, we'll tell you about the leaders." York said while slicing a stack of pancakes. "Since you trained so hard yesterday and definitely needed the early rest, we couldn't give you any information."

"I'm having some mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I don't think I want to know about them if they're considered so evil. But on the other hand, curiosity tugs at me to find out." May replied.

"It's better to know your enemies than to be afraid of them." Brunt said.

"He's right." Melidia said. "We've been studying them for quite a while now, so hopefully York can actually kill them."

"Hopefully? Do you think I don't have the skills to do so?" York asked, half jokingly.

"Hehe, you know overconfidence is a bad thing." Brunt replied.

"Yeah, it's not like you'll be able to just kill them so easily." Melidia added.

"Well of course not. If I could, I would be the ruler of Arad." York said. "Anyways, we'll go to the Information Room once again."

Once in the Information Room, they all gathered to the center table again. York pressed a few buttons, and a different image came up this time. There were five faces on the side, but also located on different parts of the map of Arad.

"You've heard of Rothar already." York began. "He's in this area right here, above West Coast, practically having all the lands including Coastal Junction. He's a very technical man, but he also works on magic. A rather big HQ, with guards surrounding it and lining up every floor inside. One of his arms has been replaced with a robotic arm, since he lost it during a fight while growing up. Because of the power and advantages he saw with his robotic arm, he also decided to replace one of his eyes with a piece that helps him determine distance, aim better, and even allows for him to shoot lasers. He'll definitely be the most difficult to defeat, especially with the amount of robot and human guards he has."

"Over here in West Coast, we have Kaigan. She specializes in different weapons, mostly for close combat but a few ranged ones too." Brunt said. "To get to Rothar, you'll have to get through her. She's been honing her weapon skills for 15 years, so be extra cautious. But man is she a fine beauty, hahahahah! If she didn't kill so many people I bet she could find a man."

"And who would go out with her? You?" Melidia remarked. "Chances of that happening are about the same as being struck by lightning."

"Hey I got the muscle and the looks!" Brunt replied.

"Sure you do." Melidia rolled her eyes. "Anyways, the last person you'd have to beat is Shaku. He uses a lot of magic, so anything from vines to fireballs to ice crystals. He'll be in Hendon Myre. We've had a bit of a history with the guy when we were younger, so you should be fine against him at least. While he may have gotten better over time, we've gotten better too."

"As for the other two leaders, luckily we won't have to fight them." York stated. "But just to give you a bit of info, let's start with this area south of Elvenguard. You remember the young child leader? He's Rito. Rito is, in a way, a more skilled and brutal version of our younger selves. He has murdered more people in one year than we have in three. When Rito went to challenge the old leader, the leader underestimated the little killer. The old guy let his guard down and died within minutes. His guards, thinking that it was just a fluke, went after Rito. Rito took care of a few of them as well. The rest, after seeing just exactly who they were dealing with, decided to make Rito their new ruler. The other ruler, Kice, controls the Storm Pass area. She also killed the previous leader of that area. It's not surprising though, a lot of people in Storm Pass do that. Storm Pass is known as an area where skilled female warriors live. Of course, there are men in the area, but it has a history of female warriors challenging the ruler. Kice is the latest one, but she kept the throne for 10 years now. She at least knows to give mercy to her challengers, otherwise she wouldn't have many minions."

"That's...a lot to take in." May said.

"Well you have some time before we actually get started." York replied.

"Oh, let's get a picture of us before you guys leave." Melidia said, hurrying to get her camera.

"Eh, I hate standing for pictures." Brunt grumbled.

"Oh a picture can't hurt." Annabelle said. "I want one to show our parents!"

"Well then I guess we can't refuse a lady's request, now can we, Brunt?" York replied.

"Bah! If you say so." Brunt rolled his eyes.

"Now, where should you guys stand..." Melidia wondered while walking back with an instant camera. "Oh I know! We should stand near the fireplace."

They all went to the living room and stood in front of the fireplace.

"So, is this a real fireplace?" May asked.

"Purely for looks." Melidia replied. She pressed a button on the camera and some metal legs appeared under it. The legs acted like a tripod, forming a triangle on the floor. "Gotta love technology." She pressed the timer for a few seconds and got into place. The camera flashed.

"And now to print two copies." Melidia pressed another button. Two photos appeared from the camera. "Ta-da! Here you go, Annabelle."

"Thanks!" Annabelle replied, accepting the photograph.

"I'll go get the storage cubes now. You guys should put on your bullet-proof suits now." Melidia stated before she left.

"Storage cubes?" Annabelle asked.

"Little cubes, so little in fact that you can close your hand around it. It can be resized to be a little bit bigger, but not much bigger. Things stored inside are shrunk down and they return to normal size in 10 seconds once out of the cube. You just simply put your hand inside and say what you want. Of course, your hands return to normal size as soon as they're out of the cube." York explained.

"Technology and magic?" May asked with a smile.

"You're catching on, I see." Brunt replied.

May and Annabelle went to their room and put on their bullet-proof suits. They returned to the living room where Melidia was handing York the storage cubes.

"You guys all ready for the real deal?" Melidia asked.

"I think so." May replied.

"Good. Because there's no turning back. There won't be any returns to this hideout, since it takes a while to get to Hendon Myre." York responded. "Come then. Let's go to the front doors."

"Bye bye Melidia and Brunt!" Annabelle exclaimed, waving one of her hands.

"Thanks for everything!" May added.

"No problem. Maybe if we meet I can throw some more targets at you, hahahaha!" Brunt said.

"Yeah, you never know! Maybe we'll see each other again!" Melidia responded, waving.

"I hope!" Annabelle said with a smile.

"Melidia and Brunt, I trust you two shall protect the hideout?" York asked.

"Of course! We built this place! It's nicer than anywhere else!" Brunt bellowed.

"Now now, I know you'll protect it fine." York replied, a little grin on his face.

York and the girls went to the front doors. The doors slid open and they exited into the woods. The sun was shining but the trees around provided some shade. Some birds could be heard chirping, but not much else could be heard. Or perhaps they didn't dare make sounds. Nonetheless, York headed straight for Hendon Myre and the girls followed. It was indeed a long walk. They walked for about two hours before settling down to rest. Afterwards, they continued. From time to time, May or York carried Annabelle because she got tired more often, but they couldn't bare to waste time sitting down for more rest. However, when it was about noon, everyone agreed to a lunch break. They sat by the trees and York took out the storage cubes.

He reached into one of the cubes and said, "Sandwiches." When he pulled his hand out, a small plate with about 20 sandwiches rested on his palm. And just as York said, after about 10 seconds, the plate, along with the sandwiches. grew back to the normal size. "Assorted sandwiches, take whichever you want." York said, putting his hand back into the cube. "Water bottles. Tea kettle. Cups." York pulled out more items. "The great thing is that it also keeps things hot or cold."

They ate lunch and rested a bit in the shade. Afterwards, the continued their journey. It took about another two hours before they started to see concrete, and by then, clouds began to appear and cover up the brilliant sun.

"Looks like it might rain." May said.

"Yes, we should try to find a place to keep ourselves dry." York replied. "But at least we've reached Hendon Myre. We'll probably reach Shaku's lair soon."

A few minutes passed as they walked. Suddenly, York stopped.

"...Anne? Is that you?" He asked.

"Hey, York? What's wrong?" May asked.

"Anne...it can't be." York said, completely focused on someone.

"York, who's Anne?" May asked.

York didn't reply. He started sprinting forward.

May and Annabelle were astonished. They hurried after York.

"York! What's wrong?!" May asked. She moved a bit to the side so she could see who this Anne was. She was startled by what she saw. Anne looked similar to Annabelle. She had flowing brown hair. Her smooth, brown eyes and charming smile gave a sense of inviting warmth. One of her arms was stretched out towards York.

_What was that?_ May thought. She noticed something quite peculiar. _Was it a...glitch of some sort? But why would I see a glitch? Unless...there it is again! Wait, I know what it is! It's like when I was in the Information Room. This Anne person is just a hologram!_

"York! Stop!" May screamed.


	6. York's Revenge

Chapter 6: York's Revenge

York continued to run. He was inches away from grasping the hologram's hand, but May jumped and pushed him away. York got up and looked in astonishment as the hologram faded away.

"What?!" York gasped.

"Hahahahaha!" A voice laughed. "Technology is decent I suppose!"

Annabelle ran to May's side. "Who's there?!" She yelled.

"Hoho, little girl, you look a lot like that hologram!" The voice exclaimed.

A man appeared out of thin air. He wore a green tunic with matching green trousers. His hair was spiky and maroon, and his eyes were a mix of red and blue.

"You should've seen the look on your face, York! Hahahaha! 'Oh Anne...is that you? I'm coming for you!' Such an idiot!" The man shouted.

"Shaku..." York growled, his voice filled with anger.

"The one and only!" Shaku said with a grin. "You should've known that Anne was a fake. Don't you remember? It was I, hehe...that killed your precious Anne."

York quickly unsheathed his sword and swung at Shaku. Shaku jumped out of the way.

"Now now, let's not get too hasty just yet." Shaku waved a finger. "Or maybe you're eager to join your dear Anne."

York stood up and charged at Shaku. Shaku conjured up a fireball and threw it at York. York stepped out of the way and swung his sword once more. Shaku evaded it and kicked York away.

"Why don't I add two more girls to the grave?" Shaku said as he charged up lightning. Shaku sent out lightning to the girls while they gasped in surprise. York quickly got up and ran just beyond the lightning strike before it reached the girls. He took out a card and shouted, "Shield!" The card grew bigger and shielded them from the lightning attack.

"Oh, learned some new tricks, eh?" Shaku asked.

The card disappeared and York stood up to face him. "Why don't you stop being a coward and fight me one on one?" York asked back.

"A coward? Or do you mean smart? Because let's be honest here. If you have someone to protect and me targeting that someone gives me an advantage, then of course I'll do it. Hehe, just like Anne." Shaku replied.

"York, you gotta stop listening to him." May whispered. "He's trying to rile you up, making it so you're easier to kill."

"Grrr, I know." York replied.

"York, you have to control your anger." May said.

"I know!" York exclaimed.

A surprise lightning attack was shot. York quickly saw it and pulled another card to shield himself.

"Why don't you unleash your anger instead?" Shaku asked. "Hahaha, maybe it makes you better at fighting!"

"...You know, Shaku, I bet you've become all talk and no walk." York began.

"What?!" Shaku yelled.

"You heard me. The last few times we fought you, you were definitely stronger. But look now, all I've seen were fireballs and lightning strikes. Pretty weak stuff coming from you. I bet even my magic is better than yours."

"We'll see about that!" Shaku exclaimed, producing a blue circle glyph. Icicles appeared and flew towards York. York shot out cards from out of his sleeves, each card countering an icicle.

"How about this, a one on one fight? Leave the girls out of it and we can see just whose magic is better." York proposed.

"Hm...all right I accept. But if those girls interfere, they are dead." Shaku replied.

"Deal." York responded. "Girls, move far away from us. I'm having a personal battle."

The girls looked at each other. They nodded and moved to the entrance of a nearby building.

"I'll be sure to reunite you with your dear Anne." Shaku said.

"We'll see about that." York replied, readying himself.

Shaku took the first move and thrust his arms into the ground. Vines appeared around York and were ready to attack him. York took out a stack of cards and transformed it into a sword. With his cane sword and card sword, he hacked and slashed the vines that attacked him. Shaku conjured up a lightning bolt while York was busy and fired at him. York noticed the lightning bolt and jumped back to avoid the vines. He grabbed his top hat and let the bolt enter it. Taking out a Ten of Diamonds, he placed it on the surface of the hat. With the top hat facing towards Shaku, ten diamonds infused with lightning were sent flying. Shaku prepared a barrier, ready for the onslaught of lightning diamonds. The diamonds crashed into the barrier, breaking into pieces upon impact. However, one was able to cut through the barrier and cut Shaku's left arm.

"What?! Impossible!" Shaku yelled, blood streaming down from his wound.

"Don't you know? Diamonds can be quite sharp." York replied with a smirk.

Shaku plunged his arms into the ground once again, this time summoning ice crystals around York's feet. York jumped away from the ice crystals.

"Gotcha." Shaku said. He sent a vine towards York and grabbed him. York's arms and legs could not be moved. Shaku made the vine slam York to the ground. Shaku started conjuring up fireballs but York quickly regained his senses and threw a pack of cards onto the ground that moved on their own. Shaku threw the fireballs at York, but York was able to convert his body into a card and join the cards on the ground.

"Hiding in this measly group of cards?" Shaku said, grabbing two and burning them up. "Just a cheap little trick."

Shaku sent out a wave of fire onto the cards on the ground.

"Pathetic." Shaku said.

Annabelle gasped, "Oh no! What are we going to do?"

"Just wait a minute, Annabelle. York wouldn't go down that easy." May replied.

"It wasn't a smart move to hide among those cards." Shaku smirked.

"Actually, I wasn't hiding in that group of cards." York said.

"What?!" Shaku exclaimed with astonishment. He turned around.

York swung his sword at Shaku, but Shaku was able to avoid the full force of it and only suffered a cut on his right leg. York kicked Shaku away.

"Yes! I knew it!" May cried out with glee.

"Okay then." Shaku said. "You wanna fight up close? We'll fight up close."

His hands and feet began to glow. His right hand glowed red and his left hand blue, accompanied by flames and ice. His feet glowed green and yellow, as thorns curled his left shoe while the other had lightning zapping around.

"You're not the only one with magical coverings." York said as he dropped two cards to the ground and held two more in his hands. The cards morphed to fit his hands but also gave his fingers a sharp coating. He stepped on the cards that laid on the ground and the same change occurred around his shoes.

"Your silly little cards won't protect your hands if they're burned off." Shaku said.

"I like to see you try. Unlike those other cards, these are different." York replied.

Although he was a distance away from York, Shaku did two quick punches followed by a left kick, each move sending out a different elemental attack. York countered by grabbing the fire and ice projectiles and throwing them back while evading the lightning orb. Shaku sidestepped the counter and ran towards York. He charged at York with a right jab. York ducked down and tried to sweep Shaku's legs. Shaku jumped up and aimed for York with his thorny leg. York jumped out of the way but Shaku had a spiky surprise for York. The thorns on Shaku's leg went underground and moved to where York was. York got stabbed by two thorns before jumping out of the way again.

"Luckily my cards absorbed most of the damage." York said.

"We'll see how much more damage they can take." Shaku replied.

Shaku charged with two hooks followed by another jab. York avoided the hooks and sidestepped the jab, countering by grabbing Shaku's arm and elbowing his stomach. York then threw him on the ground and tried to stab his chest. Shaku rolled out of the way, tripping York in the process, but suffered a cut on his left shoulder, a deeper cut than his previous wounds. York rolled backwards onto his knees while Shaku stood up gripping his wounded shoulder. Just then, the cloudy weather that loomed above them changed. Rain slowly dropped down at first but quickly accelerated to rapid drops.

"Rain...how _perfect._" Shaku said with a menacing smile.

He raised his left hand and the rain droplets in front of him solidified to ice. As the rain continued, the number of his ice particles increased drastically. Once there was about 100 ice droplets floating in front of him, he sent them towards York.

York reacted quickly by holding up two cards. "Double shield!" He shouted. The cards grew and protected York, but the force of the ice was so great that he was pushed back slightly. The tops and corners of the cards were getting ripped to shreds, but the main body was maintained. Once the barrage was over, York took out three Ten of Diamonds. "Now it's my turn." York said, placing the three Ten of Diamonds onto the card shields. The shields were transformed into pieces of 30 floating diamonds. The diamonds all flew towards Shaku.

"Not bad!" Shaku said. He froze half of the cards in the air and threw a fireball to destroy the others. The fireball continued towards York.

"What?!" York gasped. He put his hands up to shield himself as he was too surprised to move or conjure up a spell. The fireball clashed with York's card hands and sizzled down. York's cards had steam flowing with the wind.

"What's the matter? A little blaze surprised you?" Shaku teased.

"I thought you wouldn't be able to use fire moves in this heavy rain." York replied.

"Hahahahaha! Rookie mistake!" Shaku bellowed.

"Yes, it was my mistake." York stated, throwing a card towards Shaku.

Shaku grabbed it and ignited it on fire. Much to his surprise, the card was still in his hand.

"The hell is this?!" Shaku exclaimed.

"Hoho, that was a very nice sauna!" A voice said. "But I'm outta here. I need to get some fresh air."

The way Shaku was holding the card was that the back was facing him. The voice came from the card, and so he turned it around in curiosity. Upon turning to see the card, a fist shot out and punched Shaku's face. Shaku was sent flying a few feet while the card slowly dropped to the ground. A person came out of the card.

"When there's something that needs to be killed, the Joker always does it with great skill!" The man sang as he danced.

Shaku crouched back up, "God you are annoying."

The Joker was two inches away from Shaku. "It takes one to know one!" He laughed again. "How does it feel to not have any friends?"

Shaku quickly transformed his ice hand into an ice sword and swung at the Joker while saying, "Shut up! I don't need any friends!"

The Joker jumped out of the way, but not before giving a quick cut to Shaku's left cheek.

"It's not like you have any, either." Shaku said.

"Oh nonsense! I'm friends with the other Jokers!" The Joker replied.

"I see you're having a good time with one of the Jokers." York said.

"And those little girls are going to have a good time in the afterlife." Shaku said, jumping to his feet.

"They've done nothing to help!" York replied.

"Ah but this battle is now two versus one!" Shaku bolted for the girls.

"Cowardly little sneak!" York threw two cards at Shaku.

"Hahahaha, not on the Joker's silky sleeves!" The Joker threw out a rope of cards towards Shaku.

May, seeing that Shaku was coming for her and her sister, shielded Annabelle. Just as Shaku was five feet away from May and Annabelle, the Joker's rope of cards wrapped tightly around Shaku's legs and twisted him to York's direction. Before he was on the ground, the cards that York threw wrapped almost fully on Shaku's arms. When Shaku landed on the ground, the cards clamped down and dug into the ground, ensuring that he couldn't move his arms. The Joker walked over to Shaku and absorbed his magic limbs with blank cards. Shaku was unable to cast anything. York walked over and placed two more cards around Shaku's legs, also digging into the ground. The Joker's rope of cards disappeared. May and Annabelle turned to see York after not feeling an attack.

"Hehehehe, Master is ready for the finish!" The Joker laughed.

"Yes, you may go now. Your help was invaluable." York replied.

The Joker handed York a blank card and transferred himself back into it. An image of the Joker smiling faded back in. York put it away and placed one of his feet on Shaku.

"I have been waiting a very long time for this." York said. He stomped on Shaku. Shaku gave a gasp of pain while May and Annabelle winced.

"Go ahead and kill me. You already have me down." Shaku stated.

"Kill you? Right now?" York laughed. "Shaku, my _dear old friend_, you're not leaving us so easy. No, I intend to make you feel the pain I did when I lost my precious Anne. I am going to make you feel pain you have never experienced before."

York unsheathed his sword. May gasped and turned around to Annabelle. She made sure to cover Annabelle's view as well as her ears. York slowly drove his sword into Shaku's left leg, centimeter by centimeter. Shaku clenched his teeth and bared the pain. York then suddenly drove it all the way through his leg, causing Shaku to let out a bloodcurdling scream. May pulled Annabelle closer and said, "Don't pay attention to them. Pay attention to me. Remember what Mom sang to us when we would get scared?"

"Haha!" York gave out a cry of joy. He began to sing a nursery rhyme, although modified.

_"Oranges and lemons,_

_say the bells of St. Clement's._

_Your little heart did harden,_

_say the bells of St. Martin's."_

York stabbed Shaku's right leg, Shaku gave out another scream.

"Hush, don't cry, you're right here with me.

Hush, don't cry, together we'll be." May sang to Annabelle.

_"When will you pay me?_

_Say the bells of Old Bailey."_

York stabbed Shaku's left arm.

"Right by your side, I'll take care of you.

Right by your side, together, so true."

_"When I am bewitched,_

_Say the bells of Shoreditch."_

York stabbed Shaku's right arm.

"Happy things around, don't you fret.

Happy things around, don't be upset."

_"Crying with pleas,_

_Say the bells of Stepney."_

York stabbed Shaku's stomach. Lightning flashed.

"My love to you will always be here.

My love to you will never disappear."

_"Beheaded, we'll know,_

_Say the bells of Bow._

_Here comes a candle to light you to bed._

_And here comes the butcher to chop of your head!" _York finished.

"Hush, don't cry, you're right here with me.

Hush, don't cry, together we'll be." May finished.

York raised his sword high and chopped off Shaku's head. Thunder roared right after the deed. York fell down to his knees and covered his face, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Anne..." He said.


	7. An Explanation

Chapter 7: An Explanation

Rain continued to splatter. The drops fell on York, dampening his hair and his clothes. May and Annabelle were covered by the entrance in which they settled before the fight. They stood up and slowly walked over to York. Annabelle hugged York. May followed her action.

"Are you okay?" Annabelle asked.

York removed his hands from his face and looked at Annabelle, "A little bit." He wiped his eyes and looked over to May, "I'm sure you're curious about Anne."

"A little bit, but you don't have to if you don't want to." May replied.

"No, you'll be wondering about it, and I've been keeping this down for a very long time. I think today is when I can finally let go." York stated.

York got up and took out a blank card. He placed it on Shaku and Shaku started fading away. Once Shaku was gone, the card dropped to the ground. York picked the card, now containing an image of Shaku.

"We don't want anyone finding his body out here. They'll know he's dead eventually since word goes around fast. But at least with this, it won't be as fast. Plus, I can use him as a pawn now." York explained. "Anyways...Ah that building looks like a good place to rest."

York pointed to a tavern-like building. The building looked safe, with clean, sturdy walls and a strong roof. The buildings surrounding the tavern looked slightly ragged and torn down, so the tavern stuck out.

"Are you sure about resting in Hendon Myre? What if we get attacked?" May asked.

"Don't worry. Shaku doesn't have any henchmen and we're still a distance away from the other rulers. We should be able to get a good night's rest." York replied.

"Then I guess we might as well." May said.

They entered the tavern and closed the door. York turned on the lights and took out a device from one of the storage cubes and attached it to the door.

"This will make the tavern look just like the other dilapidated buildings. It was probably made after all the other ones, hence why it looks so much better." York theorized. "Let's see if there's anything to warm us up..."

York looked around the tavern and found an electric fireplace. He inserted the plug into a socket close by and flipped a switch. The electric fireplace turned on.

"Lucky for us, it's good enough." York said.

He pulled up three large but comfortable chairs right up to the fireplace. He placed two chairs close together while the third was on the opposite side. They all took a seat. They all spent a few minutes warming up.

"Do you remember when I said it was a habit for me to look at my pocket watch?" York asked, taking out the aforementioned pocket watch.

He opened it up and gave it to May for a look. There was a picture inside with York and his friends. There was another person there, a girl who looked similar to Annabelle. They all stood close and smiled, real smiles, at the camera.

"That was the height of my happiness. Out of all the times where I've felt happy after falling to Arad, that moment was the greatest." York said.

May held the pocket watch close to Annabelle while Annabelle leaned in slightly to see.

"Look, she does look a lot like you." May said.

"She's pretty!" Annabelle exclaimed softly.

"Indeed she was." York said, reaching out his hand. May returned the pocket watch. York looked at the picture again and closed it. "I was about 20 years old when I first saw her. We found her near the edge of Elvenguard, close to the entrance of Hendon Myre..."

"She might be dead." York said.

"No, she isn't." Melidia said, checking the woman's pulse. "She's just sleeping. We should help her."

"Why should we? She'll probably try to kill us the minute she has the chance!" Brunt argued.

"We gave York a chance." Melidia replied.

"That is true. If you're really worried about her, then we'll just keep her under constant watch." York added.

"All right. But if we're dead, it's not my fault." Brunt said.

York agreed to carry the woman back to their hideout. At the time, it was not as luxurious as in the present time. It was only two rooms and, while they did spend time expanding the hideout, they spent much time outside in the woods as well, searching for medicinal plants and scavenging food. York and his friends survived for a long time ever since they first met. When they all first saw the woman, York was 20 years old, Brunt was 22, and Melidia was 19. A few days passed before the woman slightly woke up.

"Oh good, you're awake." Melidia said.

The girl only gave a small groan.

"Can we get your name?" York asked.

"Anne." The woman said weakly.

"Drink some water." Melidia said, handing a small shell full of water. "Rest some more until you've healed up and have more strength."

And the woman did rest. She rested two more days before getting some more water and food. She healed as days passed and after two weeks, she was almost back to her normal self.

"So tell us, what happened that got you bruised up so much?" Melidia asked, as they were all situated around a fire that was cooking some fish.

"I tried to steal some food from these goons near Hendon Myre. Unfortunately I was caught in the act so I tried to escape. The guys didn't want me alive, so they followed me. I figured that I might as well kill them so I decided to turn around and start shooting. Problem was that it was still three against one, and I'm not really that great of a shooter. I ended up killing them, though definitely not without some bruises and cuts. After the fight, I couldn't move much farther before collapsing onto the ground. I guess that's when you guys found me and rescued me." Anne explained. "Thanks for the rescue, by the way."

"Well you're safe with us. As long as you're not our enemy, you can be a part of our group." York said.

"I'll take you up on that offer. Oh, and nice clothes." Anne replied.

"Thank you." York responded with tipping his hat.

York and his friends helped Anne with her shooting. Since York was busy practicing his card throws and Melidia with her shooting as well as building her robots, it was a good time for Anne. At the same time, Anne immediately became friends with Melidia, as it had been a while since both of them had any female friends. She got to know York more as time went on, though Brunt didn't completely trust her until several weeks passed. As her shooting skills improved, she proved to be an invaluable member to the team. Not only did it help for killing off enemies, but it also helped for hunting and stealing. The first time any romantic feelings occurred between York and Anne was on a dark night. York was on a large tree branch, laying back against the trunk and watching the stars. The others were asleep in the hideout. Except for one person who walked out and saw York.

"Couldn't sleep?" Anne asked.

York was surprised at first and prepared himself for battle and jumped off the branch, but he quickly realized it was a familiar voice and responded, "Yeah. What about you?"

"Had a decent dream but woke and found you were gone."

"Is that so? What were you dreaming about?"

"I was the best gunner and went to the top. Nobody would dare fight me and I made Arad a better place. Then my mom and dad congratulated me."

"Sounds more like a good dream rather than a decent dream."

"Well, that last part was what caused me to wake up."

"I'm not surprised. I would have woken up at the same time if I had the same dream." York laid back against the tree and gazed back at the stars. "Sometimes, I wonder what they would think if they knew what kind of person I became."

"I'm sure they would still be proud of you."

"Are you sure? We have all become killers in Arad. We're merely surviving, but we still kill regardless."

"Perhaps, but are we really that bad?"

"I don't know."

Anne sat down next to York and looked up at the stars. "They're beautiful."

"Indeed. Sometimes I feel like my parents are watching over me, right behind all of those stars."

"I know they're always right here with me." Anne showed York a pendant with herself and her parents.

"You're lucky. I don't have any memorabilia."

"Well, Melidia's working on a camera. We'll all be in the picture and then you can keep it. I'll keep one too."

"I'm curious as to why she would make a camera."

"Well you guys are building a hideout that seems to be increasingly extravagant. A camera probably shouldn't really make you think too much about it."

"Haha, I suppose."

"Oh, I know. Here, take this." Anne took out a pocket watch and gave it to York. "You can put the picture in there. It belonged to my dad, but he gave it to me as a good luck charm. It's also supposed to be something to remind me of him, but I already have this pendant. Now it's my good luck charm to you. Keep it safe and remember to put that picture in there."

"A good luck charm, huh?" York put it in an interior pocket of his jacket. "Thank you."

They continued to gaze upon the stars. They were silent with only the crickets and owls chirping and hooting in the night.

"Say, you think we'll ever get to a point where Arad will be safe?" Anne asked.

"Like as safe as Empyrean is?" York asked back.

"Yeah, something like that. There's so much killing and surviving down here. There's no time for love or anything."

"I suppose. It'll take a while though, and we don't know if we'll even live to see that day. Love is a complex and perplexing emotion. Do I even want to feel it?"

"Well if it wasn't for love, we wouldn't be here right now."

"That is true." York took out a 2 of Hearts and looked at it. "I would like to see a better Arad." He threw the card in the air.

The card landed next to Anne's side. "Then why don't we make a promise?" Anne asked.

"And that promise would be?" York asked back.

"We have to stay alive and change Arad for the better. We'll live to see a better Arad."

"Hm...All right I promise."

"Ah, pinky promise!"

"Pinky promise? I haven't heard of that since I was 8 years old."

"Oh come on, it won't hurt, and it's not like anyone else is around to see or hear."

"Fine fine. Pinky promise." York and Anne hooked their pinkies together.

"Well then, I'll go back to bed. I've been up long enough." Anne stood up. "You should probably go to bed soon, too. Good night."

"Good night." York replied. He looked to the spot where the 2 of Hearts landed, but the card was nowhere to be found. He gazed back up at the stars but then took out the pocket watch that Anne gave him. He opened it up.

"Love is a curious thing..." He said. He stood up and went back inside the hideout.

"Ever since she gave that pocket watch to me, I kept it dearly close to me." York said. "Time passed and we got closer together. Melidia and Brunt weren't used to me showing some affection, but they adapted. Then one day, Anne and I had to steal some food and gather supplies. We went into Hendon Myre and got the items, but we were attacked by Shaku. We tried our best to kill him and escape. We even called for Melidia and Brunt, since they were back at the hideout looking over the area and searching for supplies there as well. Unfortunately, Shaku killed off Anne before Brunt and Melidia could appear. Furious, I tried my best to kill Shaku. Brunt and Melidia came when I charged at Shaku. I was knocked back but they covered my back. It was clear that we couldn't defeat Shaku at the time, so I picked up Anne's body and we all hurried back to our hideout. Shaku never followed us, probably because he liked to toy with us, since I would always try to go back and kill him when I thought I was ready. We ended up burying her body next to our hideout. That day was bright and sunny, and I was sure Nature was toying with me as well."

"Then...is that why you decided to save us?" May asked.

"For the most part, yes. After that event, I never bothered with any love. Granted, after that, we also didn't meet very many people who were in trouble. Two people at most, but I never thought about rescuing them. But Annabelle here, she was just so similar. Younger perhaps, but the appearance was strikingly similar. And when I found out the name, I swore that something was toying with me again. But I decided to help you, as it seemed as though I was helping Anne. While I believed that it was selfish of me to think of Annabelle as Anne, I couldn't help but think of it anyways. To me, Annabelle was someone who had to be helped. I suppose it's a weird way for me and it probably doesn't make sense." York sighed. "Sometimes, I wished I died with Anne that fateful day."

"But it would have been bad if you did! Who would have saved us?" Annabelle asked.

"She's right." May added. "We owe it to you that we're here. I know that it's hard to live without Anne, but remember that you also made a promise. You killed Shaku, so you're one step closer to making Arad a better place. In the same time, you're helping us go back to Empyrean."

"Promise me you won't die and that you'll make Arad a better place. And also you'll get us back to Empyrean!" Annabelle requested.

"Okay, I promise." York said.

"Pinky promise?" Annabelle asked with a smile.

York smiled, "Pinky promise, my dear Annabelle." He opened the pocket watch and looked at the time. "Well then, we should rest. It's very late and we'll need to get moving tomorrow."

They all went to a room that had four beds in it. The room was of decent size and the beds were long enough for them all, and so they wished each other a good night and drifted off to sleep.


	8. Dreams and Memories

Chapter 8: Dreams and Memories

A golden sun shined in the sky, a small breeze blew by, and it was calm. Fields of flowers scattered throughout the area. Grass was everywhere and not a single building was in sight. There was one field of grass where a bench could be found. Aside it, a swing set. York was pushing Anne as she gleefully laughed the melancholy away.

"You want me to push you?" Anne asked with a giggle.

"Now when does a lady do that?" York asked back.

"It could be now if you choose."

"No no, it's fine."

But when York pushed Anne once more, Anne jumped out of the seat as it reached the highest and farthest point possible. She landed gracefully.

"Well, I'm done swinging. What do you think of my flight?" Anne asked.

"Soared like an eagle, my dear." York replied as he walked up to her.

"And just like an eagle, I'm not swinging anymore."

"In that case, may I have this dance?" York extended his hand.

"With no music?"

"Must we need music to dance to our hearts' delight?"

"Well, if you insist." Anne accepted.

They danced in the fields without a care in the world. Truly it was a place of happiness for York. But all did not go well. Anne turned to dust in York's arms. The dust fell through his fingers and the slight breeze now blew the dust away. The sun was no longer shining as it had somehow dulled down. Clouds began to appear and blocked the already dulled sun, casting the field in a land of darkness. The flowers all around began to wilt. Petals fell and flowers drooped, and never did the grass looked so black until now. The bench disappeared and the swing set was in ruins. Pieces of the ground began to fall and disappear. York was shocked throughout the entire process. Fires appeared and burned one area. Insects came and devoured the flowers in another. Slowly, everything crawled and crumbled and burned towards York. The insects cried loudly. Their screams echoed all around York. He fell to his knees, covered his ears, and closed his eyes. The marvelous dream transformed into a nightmare. The nightmare soon ended, but the dream did not stop. And was the sequence after the nightmare any better?

A scream. A familiar voice, a familiar scream. York opened his eyes. He was in Hendon Myre. The scream came from Anne, who now laid on the ground. He saw Shaku with his smug grin. Anger boiled and bubbled inside York. He threw a card at Shaku, but Shaku merely sidestepped the attack and countered with his ice crystals. York avoided the attack and tried to charge up to Shaku. Sword in his hand, he lunged forth but was countered with a punch and a kick to the stomach and chest. York flew backwards and hit the ground. Melidia and Brunt appeared and helped him to his feet. York was convinced that they had to retreat. Melidia and Brunt fended off Shaku for a bit while York went over to pick up Anne's body. Once accomplished, they ran back to Elvenguard as fast as they could. Shaku never followed them. He simply stayed in Hendon Myre, waiting for any attacks.

As it turned out, the nightmare turned into a memory that York was reliving. As he had said previously, the sun was bright and warm and all seemed calm. But for him, a black hole rested inside him. There was no joy to be felt. Once they reached the hideout, York decided to bury her body. He walked into the hideout to get a shovel. Upon obtaining the shovel, a dog and a cat walked up to him and barked and meowed happily. These pets belonged to York and his friends, though they especially loved Anne for she was the one to take them in. If it was not for her, the dog and cat would have died in the streets. The pets were happy to see York, and they were waiting to see Anne as well. York knew this, but he only avoided their eyes and walked outside. The pets didn't follow him, they only waited for their beloved owner to come soon. York went back out and buried Anne while tears slowly trailed his face. He entered the hideout and was greeted with the pets once again. They stood waiting for Anne. York couldn't bear to look at them. Hours passed and they were still waiting for Anne. During dinner, Melidia gave them bowls of food. They did not eat. When the time came for them all to sleep, York and his friends went to their rooms. The pets laid their heads down, facing the front door. They drifted off to sleep, wondering when their owner would come home. The next day, when morning arrived, the pets ran into Anne's room to see if she came home while they were asleep. They entered an empty room. Worried, they headed back downstairs, waiting once again. They did not eat breakfast. They did not eat lunch. They did not eat dinner. The next day, during lunch, York had enough.

"Come on, eat." He nudged them.

The pets did not move.

"Come on now. Just eat." York continued.

Silence.

"Just. _Eat._" York said angrily, tears beginning to fall.

Nothing.

York stood up. "Why won't you eat!? Why are you waiting on her!? There's no point in waiting on her! She won't be here! She won't be coming home anytime soon! Why can't you see that she's just...just..."

The pets moved their heads towards York.

York dropped to his knees. "Dead. She's dead. She's dead and she's not coming back."

There are ways people like to be when dealing with profound sadness. Some opt for solitude. Others find peace in close bonds. For York, he wanted to be left alone. But the pets wanted to comfort him. They all shared a bond of love for Anne. The pets walked up to York, to give him warmth and love. But that was the only time the pets looked alive at that point. As days passed, they grew weaker and weaker. The cat died first and was buried next to Anne. The death of the cat only made the dog sadder, for he lost another companion. On his last day, he howled as much as his soul could give before sleeping, dying in slumber. York buried the dog beside Anne's grave.

But the memory ended, and York was sent to his dreams once again. But a nightmare is also a dream, and a gunshot could be heard right behind him. He was in a town, but York had no time for that. He turned around to see who shot the bullet. It was a black shadow of a man, with a trench coat and hat. There was no face. York turned to see where the bullet went. It was in slow motion, the way he saw the bullet. He could see it turning slowly with markings on the bullet. It was heading for May and Annabelle. May covered Annabelle with her body, but the bullet pierced her. The bullet did not stop. It continued and drilled through Annabelle's head. York heard another shot, but he could not react. The bullet went through his chest...

York woke up, panting and sweating. He looked at May and Annabelle. They were sleeping soundly. He took out his pocket watch and opened it up to see the picture. He took out the picture that was taken back at the hideout with May and Annabelle and made room in the pocket watch to insert it. He closed it and looked at his hand.

"Pinky promise..." York said, taking a deep breath and exhaling.

He took out a water bottle from a storage cube and drank half of it. He placed it beside his bed and went back to sleep.

Back in the fields with the delicate flowers and the resplendent sun, York pushed Anne on the swings. On the bench right beside the swing set, May and Annabelle sat with smiles. And for that night, no destruction came and all was right.


	9. Kaigan

Author's Note: I was actually surprised to see that people still read this story. I got a review not too long ago on Chapter 8 of this story, which made the website send an email to me noting it. Since this was incomplete, I figured I might as well complete it. However, since it's been over five months since the last I've updated it, please excuse me if it takes a while to go back to this story's style.

* * *

Chapter 9: Kaigan

May and Annabelle woke up the next day to find that York was already out of the room. He was making breakfast in the kitchen.

"Had a good rest?" York asked, flipping over a pancake.

"Yep," May replied while stretching her arms up. "How about you?"

"The same. The bathroom works fine if you guys want to shower and brush your teeth."

"That sounds pretty good right now."

May and Annabelle went to clean themselves up while York put three plates next to him. He laid down pancakes, sausages, bacon, and eggs and set them over to a nearby table. He also put some glasses down next to the plates. The girls came back to a table ready for them.

"Any particular drinks in mind?" York asked.

"I'll have orange juice," Annabelle replied.

"I'll have the same," May added.

York grabbed a carton of orange juice out of his storage cubes and poured it into the glasses. He grabbed a tea kettle for himself. The group started to eat.

"Now that Shaku is out of the way, I have to talk to you about your guns," York began. "You see, while you practiced with real guns in the Training Room, I don't really think you're quite ready to actually kill someone. Both of you. It's a gruesome thing to see and do. I had to do it to survive, and so I've gotten used to it. However, both of you have only been here a few days and will probably be back to Empyrean not too long from now. I don't wish to give you any more traumatic scenes."

"How are we going to protect ourselves then?" May asked.

"You've heard of Spitfires before, yes?"

"Yeah, they're the Gunners who use elemental grenades and can infuse their bullets with light, ice, and fire."

"Well, Melidia and I have made our own bullets infused with light. We've seen some Spitfires before, and how they were able to enchant any of their bullets. It was interesting. They would slide their fingers from their gun magazines on their backs, which brought up some sort of elemental aura around them. By either snapping or clapping their hands, the aura flew to their cartridges and infused them with whatever element they chose. Melidia and I tried our best to recreate them, but we never got far. However, we were able to make a supply of bullets that were infused with light. We found out that those bullets could be used to deliver a shock after piercing someone's skin. However, for you two, we made bullets that cannot pierce a body, but can deliver a good enough shock to stun anyone that you can hit. I'll show you."

York grabbed two guns out along with magazines full of light bullets from a storage cube. He showed the girls one of the bullets. It was plastic with no pointed edge, much like a cylinder. A faint aura could be felt from it.

"Making these bullets were not easy," York continued. "They had to be 100 percent non-lethal. But there are many factors that could change that. Bullets carry a lot of force once shot out of a gun. People in Arad do wear armor, but we still had to account for it. An injured internal organ may occur from the force. Then there's the shock. People can be stunned, yes, but that same electricity that causes them to be stunned can also kill them. What we did was resort to our favorite, mixing technology with magic. Originally, everything was made with only technology. Melidia and I worked on the guns and bullets but they were too much. However, when we tried to use magic only, there weren't any charges that could stun people. What we did instead was combine Melidia's design of the gun and bullets with my magic. The result was a gun that was buffered by magic along with bullets that could be connected to people while the magic canceled out the force. The electrical charge became sort of like a spellbinder."

"Sounds like you had these for a while. Why did you make them?" May asked.

"They were used only a few times for information. Aside from that, we never used them much. We only devoted about three days to making them. You'd think they would be useful for stopping enemies, but even that seemed to be overshadowed by our regular arsenal. If we could successfully connect a light bullet to a person, then a regular bullet would be better since that person would be dead," York replied.

"At least we get to use them now," Annabelle said.

"Indeed, Annabelle. Perhaps you'll save me from an attack from behind," York said. "I'll be counting on you then."

"Right!" Annabelle replied.

York took out some two belts for the girls. The belts had holsters and pouches for the magazines.

"You now have everything ready," York said. "There are two reasons why I'm choosing now to give you these. These do add a bit of weight, and considering how long we took to get from Elvenguard to Hendon Myre, they would have slowed us down even more. And the other reason is because of Shaku. He doesn't have minions, but he was dangerous himself, as you know. Even when he came after you, you still would not have been able to hit him. He never saw my Joker before, so he wasn't prepared for that. But for two girls with guns that had magical bullets? More than prepared. But now, since West Coast isn't too far from here and Kaigan and Rothar have minions, it's a good time to give these to you."

"Makes sense," May said, grabbing one of the belts and guns. "But can we actually take on anybody from those two?"

"No guarantee," York replied. "They both have different tiers of minions. Not necessarily because they want to, though. Most likely, they would have the weakest ones out the farthest from their base."

"That's good for us, right?" Annabelle asked.

"Hopefully," York answered. "Anyway, we'll be leaving in 30 minutes. Be ready by then."

It was 9:30 when they headed out. York took the cloaking device from the wall and stored it back into one of the storage cubes. The sun's rays shined down like the previous day, but the group walked with a faster pace, hoping that a repeat of rain would not occur. As they walked, they happened upon a sign that read "West Coast." West Coast had a similar look to Hendon Myre. Some buildings were worn down. Vegetation was found along a block.

"If we're lucky, we won't have to deal with Kaigan or her minions," York said. "But I doubt that'll happen, so be on guard."

May and Annabelle laid their hands on their guns, scanning the area around them as they walked. After walking 15 minutes, May and Annabelle began to lower their guards, as they hadn't seen anything dangerous. But York suddenly stopped them.

"Be on guard," York stated.

"But we haven't seen anything for the past 15 minutes," May replied.

Suddenly, a knife was thrown towards May. May flinched but York repelled the knife with his sword and grabbed two Joker cards.

"Jokers, come out and protect the girls!" York commanded. "They're hiding in the buildings. Seems like there are five of them."

Two Jokers appeared by May and Annabelle's side. Suddenly, 5 women appeared from various buildings in front of the group 20 feet away, each clad with armor holding a different type of weapon. The two to the left of the middle woman, Kisa and Alesia, held daggers and a glaive, respectively. Saeth, the first one to the right of the middle woman, carried a bow and arrows along with a knife. The woman after Saeth was Teresia, holding onto a scythe with a sickle on the opposite end.

"Why are you here?" The middle woman asked.

"I appreciate the warm welcome, Kaigan," York replied.

Kaigan had short, auburn hair with scarlet eyes. She wore armor that looked to be too heavy for the average person, but she could move just fine. She held two swords, one of them being a double-edged sword and the other being katana-like with a shield emblem. She also carried a medium-sized pole on her back.

"Word has it that you killed Shaku," Kaigan said. "I don't really mind since he was a pain anyway, but we didn't know what the motive was. And who are those two? Did your other partners die so you had to quickly get two other ones? They don't look like much, to be honest."

"No, my partners are just fine," York corrected. "I'm just escorting these two back to Empyrean."

"You expect me to believe that? The entire area near the Magatha is full of Rothar's lackeys. You're on a suicide mission."

"Well it's the truth."

"I can't really trust what you say. You killed Shaku already. You could be using that Empyrean story just to make me lower my guard so you can kill me."

"Look, Kaigan, I really do not wish to fight. You can just let us move on. We won't kill."

"Unfortunately, I can't take that. Considering where we are, you could still be lying."

"Sometimes you have to just assume things will go well."

"I'm not the kind to do that. I make sure things go well," Kaigan readied herself. "Attack them!"

Kisa threw several knives at the group while Saeth shot arrows. Alesia and Teresia charged behind the projectiles. York put up a large card, enough to cover him, in front of him. The card and York disappeared right before the knives and arrows contacted him. The Jokers simply smiled and shouted, "Right back at ya!" Without moving a step, they both held a card, both showing the same image of a dark hole. One hole appeared in front of them and collected all the projectiles. Another hole appeared about five feet to the northeast of them, the same knives and arrows shooting out of it. Alesia and Teresia jumped back before they could be hit.

"Behind us!" Kisa exclaimed.

Kaigan and Saeth turned around. York materialized in front of his large card. He threw a Two of Clubs card at them. The card transformed into two immense clubs, which slammed in the spaces to the left and right of Kaigan. As York predicted, Kisa and Saeth separated from Kaigan. He went after Saeth. Saeth shot three arrows at a time while Kisa ran after York. York cast produced a wall of cards around him as he ran. Kisa got to within five feet of York and Saeth pulled out her knife. The wall of cards surrounding York suddenly laid flat. One fell on Kisa and stopped her from attacking York. Saeth was surprised but York took advantage of that moment and stuck her to a wall with his cards wrapped around her limbs.

"I'll take that knife," York said.

Kisa kicked the card in the air so she could stand. York ran away from Saeth. With the card coming back down, Kisa kicked it towards York. He sliced the card with his sword and charged after Kisa. Kaigan jumped over Kisa and aimed at York with her swords. York jumped to the side and threw the knife at Kisa. As Kisa deflected the knife, York threw two cards at her legs. However, Kisa was able to react quickly enough to dodge the cards. In return, she threw five shurikens. York teleported once again. Kisa was shocked to see that York only teleported behind the shurikens, being only five feet away from her. She attacked with her daggers. York blocked one of the daggers with his sword while he dodged the other dagger. In doing so, he was able to attach a card that he was holding in his hand onto Kisa's left arm. He then kicked her to the closest wall, throwing another card onto Kisa's right arm and two more at her legs.

Meanwhile, May and her Joker were separated from Annabelle and her Joker. The Jokers expertly positioned themselves and May and Annabelle every time Alesia and Teresia tried to attack with their glaive and scythe. The Jokers moved May and Annabelle into their own large cards in the air. They flipped backwards a few times to avoid the oncoming slashes and backwards somersaulted. They entered large blank cards, which then moved to the same area as May and Annabelle. Twenty-six cards appeared around them.

"Let's play a game!" said one Joker.

"Can you find us within six tries?" asked the other Joker.

"Pick any of us and you win!" exclaimed the first Joker.

"Pick anything else and you'll get a surprise!" cried the second Joker.

"We don't care about your stupid tricks!" Alesia yelled.

The cards all turned blank and created a dome-like structure around Alesia and Teresia.

"I wouldn't try to attack all of these cards if I were you," echoed one Joker. "I'm sure you'll survive even if you miss all six tries."

Kaigan tried to cut one of the cards but she was blown back by some kind of force.

"No outside help, hahaha!" laughed the other Joker.

"Guess we have no choice," Teresia said. "That one!"

An image of a fireball materialized from the card she picked. Suddenly, fireballs shot out of the card. Teresia jumped out of the way and the fireballs entered another card. The image then had a red "X" over it. She picked another card, this time revealing a Joker with the words, "No Danger." Teresia picked one more, which showed a group of knives with the text, "x25." Twenty-five knives flew out the same way as the fireballs. Teresia avoided the knives. Alesia then picked a card. A jack-in-the-box appeared. Three seconds later a doll attached to a spring came out and laughed before going back into the card. Alesia was, of course, quite annoyed by it. She had a good result when she chose her next card. The card simply said, "10 cards removed." As such, 10 non-essential cards had X's over them. With a 4 out of 15 chance of success, she chose her last card. Slowly the card's image appeared. It said, "You Lose."

May, still hidden in a blank card, shot one of her light bullets at Alesia from behind. The bullet connected.

"Agh! I can't move!" Alesia exclaimed.

Teresia tried to go over to Alesia to help her but a Joker threw two cards that stuck Teresia's arms to a nearby wall.

"You too, just in case," the Joker said to Alesia. She was stuck to the same wall as Teresia.

May and Annabelle along with the other Joker materialized out of the cards and the cards vanished. The first Joker made sure Alesia's and Teresia's weapons weren't in their hands.

"Why don't we settle this one on one?" York asked Kaigan.

Kaigan jumped into a spinning, vertical slash without missing a beat. York jumped sideways, conjuring up his card sword. He did his own vertical slash, without the spinning, to have Kaigan block it by crossing her swords. York tried to stab her with the card sword, but her katana produced a shield about three feet in length and two feet in width. York planted his right foot on the shield and pushed himself back.

"That sure was surprising," York said.

"You're not the only one with tricks," Kaigan smirked.

Her armor glowed slightly, but suddenly Kaigan charged at York at an incredible speed. She pushed York with her shield and drew a diagonal slash. York recovered just before the slash and stepped back. Kaigan instantly grabbed her pole on her back and, with her shield changed back into a katana, connected it with the katana, creating a weapon similar to a nagamaki. With a spin, she held out her new pole arm, almost cutting York's arm. York was able to block it, setting out a fire explosion card in front of him. Both York and Kaigan jumped back, but Kaigan then connected her double-edged sword onto her pole arm. The pole arm glowed similarly to how her armor did, and when she swung her pole arm vertically, double-edged blade out, a chain connected the pole with the sword. Her even newer weapon was now a mix between a nagamaki and a kusarigama. The blade made a small cut on York's arm. Kaigan returned the chain but York grabbed onto it. Pulled in by the force of the pole, he positioned the blade towards Kaigan. However, since the blade would only return to its original end of the pole, York jumped early and tried to attack. Kaigan missed counterattacking York as he made a small cut on Kaigan's right cheek. He was able to jump off of Kaigan's back before she could swing the back end of her weapon. York pulled out three more packs of cards and turned them into floating card swords.

"You're actually forcing me to use stronger magic," York stated.

"Let's see how long you can keep those swords up," Kaigan replied. "I know that even masters of magic can run out of energy."

She threw her chained sword once again. One of the floating swords blocked it while York moved in. She also charged in while the chained sword retracted. Despite York possessing more blades, Kaigan was still able to swiftly block them with her pole arm. One sword tried a vertical slash while another tried a horizontal one half a second later. Kaigan was able to block the first with a horizontal block before shifting a few degrees for the other blade. Only another half second later, another blade tried a horizontal slash from the opposite end. She blocked it with her arm, enhanced by her magical armor. York tried a stab with one sword and a rising vertical strike with the other. Kaigan was able to sidestep both attacks and counterattack with her own strike. York jumped back but suffered a deeper cut in his left leg before getting kicked even farther back. He flew back several feet, but was able to teleport before hitting the ground. He materialized further away.

_Looks like I'll have to take a very big risk, _York thought. _A tactic like this would never work in real life like it does in movies and shows. At best, a sliced off hand. At worst, dead. But when magic comes into play, maybe one can be a bit of a risk taker._

The floating swords disappeared and turned back into regular cards and York sheathed his sword and rested it on his belt.

"Looks like you couldn't even keep it up for that long," Kaigan taunted.

"Look again," York replied.

York took off his gloves first. A few of the cards suddenly flew toward York's hands. It was like when he battled Shaku. The remaining cards on the ground had their magic moved to the cards around York's hands.

"You're going to fight barehanded?" Kaigan asked.

"Indeed. This may be my best option," York replied. He charged at Kaigan.

"If you say so!" Kaigan exclaimed.

Kaigan tried a vertical slash when York was in range. To her surprise, York did something that she never thought was possible. York grabbed the blade with his left hand and a part of the handle with the other. The blade struggled to completely cut York's hand. While Kaigan was astonished by the move, York held the pole arm and swung the weapon, flinging Kaigan against a wall. York then threw the weapon to one of the Jokers. The cards on York's hands fell to the ground. Blood could be seen dripping down under York's left hand. York panted as he unsheathed his sword. He walked over to Kaigan.

"I never bore a grudge against you like I did against Shaku," York began. "I also tried to make sure those girls don't see any more gruesome deaths. However, you attempted to kill me. I'll give you a chance: Do you have an important reason to live?"

"...My sister," Kaigan replied.

"What about her?"

"She's been sick with an illness for 14 years now."

"You expect me to believe that? I never heard about you having a sister."

"Well it's the truth. I made sure to keep her existence a secret since she's in danger. I have mages and scientists that have helped her live and lessen the pain. Why bring more danger by alerting all the other rulers that I have a strong weakness?"

"I can't really trust what you say. You could be using this story to lower my guard so that you can kill me."

"Heh, using my own words against me now? Well, as you said, sometimes you just have to assume things will go well."

May came over with Annabelle. "Hey York," May started. "Why don't you try to help her with her ill sister? After getting us back to Empyrean, that is."

"Why should I?" York asked.

"Why not?" May asked back. "You plan on making Arad a better place, right? Well killing all of the rulers isn't going to be the solution. Kaigan seems like she can be trusted. Start an alliance with her. When you get us back to Empyrean, you can return back here peacefully knowing that you have Kaigan and her soldiers protecting you. Melidia's very intelligent, so maybe she can help collaborate with the other scientists and mages on finding a cure. You know people working together is better than dictating everyone."

York thought it over. "What makes you so sure that Kaigan can be trusted?" York asked.

"I guess...you can say it's a gut feeling from an older sister," May replied.

York looked back to Kaigan. "What do you think?" York asked. "I don't mind helping you, if what you've said is true. And she notes some good points."

"It's true. I can explain it at my HQ, if you like. You'll probably want to rest a bit and patch that up," Kaigan pointed to York's bloodied hand.

"Official alliance?" York asked, extending his non-bloodied hand.

"Official alliance," Kaigan accepted.

York brought Kaigan up and released the card shackles that were placed on Kaigan's soldiers.

"Kisa, Alesia, Saeth, and Teresia, go back to HQ and explain the situation. They are now our allies, and they should be treated as such!" Kaigan commanded.

"Understood!" They all exclaimed in unison. They rushed off to their headquarters.

"Sorry about what I've done," Kaigan apologized to York.

"It's fine. It's understandable considering where we are." York replied. He returned the Jokers back to their cards.

"And thank you, um..." Kaigan said towards May.

"My name's May. And this is Annabelle." May replied.

Kaigan nodded. "Thank you, May. And hello, Annabelle. You should be glad you have a sister like her."

"I am!" Annabelle exclaimed.

"Come. We should give you some hospitality after that rude introduction. It's only about 15 minutes. And I'll be able to explain what happened to my sister and me." Kaigan said.


	10. Lilith and the Proposition

Chapter 10: Lilith and the Proposition

The group walked towards Kaigan's headquarters. The enormous building was blocked by a wall situated between two buildings. Ten guards stood in front of the wall while eight were on top of it. Behind it were twenty guards that stood watch.

"Quite a fortress you have," York said out of wonder.

"Of course. I'll let you see my sister so we can clear that doubt," Kaigan replied.

The building had a horizontal rectangle shape with three smaller tiers on top of it, allowing for four different points of defense. Guards with ranged weapons were situated on each tier. There were four towers between the wall and the headquarters. May and Annabelle were amazed with how much security Kaigan had. They entered the building and ventured deep inside. There were various paintings, tapestries, rugs, and vases. Many of them showed an older man, dressed in armor with a glorious sword, and a woman, beautiful but clad in armor as well. After passing through five rooms, they finally reached Kaigan's sister.

It was a gloomy sight to behold. She laid on a bed while wires were attached to her. Machines analyzed and kept data on her body and health. People in the room were working attentively, trying to find something that would help. She had maroon-colored hair, but her skin was sickly-pale. She was quite thin.

"Fedorus," Kaigan called a man over, "how is she?"

A man carrying a staff came over. "Lilith is still alive, but she is slightly worse than yesterday. If she only had these machines and some medicine, then she would only survive for about another three months. But with some of our magic, we can at least double that," Fedorus explained.

"I see..." Kaigan sorrowfully looked down.

Lilith moved a little and opened her eyes, revealing her amber irises. "Sis?" She asked with some effort.

"Hey Lil," Kaigan greeted. "You feeling alright?"

Lilith gave a weak smile, "I'm fine. Are these...your friends?"

"Yes," Kaigan replied. "This is York, who is helping May and Annabelle get back to Empyrean. He's agreed to also help us out with your illness."

"I'm...glad. Thank you...York," Lilith got out between deep breaths.

"I'll try my best, my dear," York replied.

"Rest up, Lil," Kaigan advised. "We're here if you need anything."

Lilith nodded and closed her eyes.

"And Fedorus? Mind healing us of our wounds?" Kaigan asked.

"An easy task," Fedorus replied. He moved his staff in a circle which produced a green stream that started to surround Kaigan and York. From head to toe the stream moved about. Afterwards, the injuries were healed.

"Thanks," Kaigan said. "Let's have some food and rest before you continue on your journey."

They followed Kaigan to a dining room. Gold chandeliers lined up the ceiling, more paintings hung around the walls, flowers filled the room, and the room was brilliantly golden. Food were brought to the table as the group sat down.

"You know, the more I stay here, the more I change my mind about Arad's situation," May said, grabbing some food.

"York and I may be special cases, but Rito and Rothar are still ruthless and malicious, but I don't know much about Kice," Kaigan stated. "You've already heard of all the rulers, yes?"

"Yeah," May replied. "I'm kind of wondering how you guys are going to take care of Rito and Kice."

"We'll probably have to fight Rito," York replied. "As for Kice, I don't know. We haven't seen much of her behavior or goals. It was a surprise to see Kaigan have a frail little sister."

"That reminds me," May remembered. "You said that you've been taking care of her for 14 years, right Kaigan?"

"Yes," Kaigan replied. "I suppose I should explain everything. You can see my parents from the paintings behind me. Despite practically everyone else being villainous, they were kind to their people. But when you have one group of good people mixed with groups of bad, it doesn't do much for Arad. They trained me to be a strong warrior, and I also had help with some mages they had. When they gave birth to Lilith, I was pretty happy to have a little sister. Although, my parents didn't last long to take care of her. After 4 years, my father was killed in battle. He was ambushed by a large crowd, though he had his own guards with him. They defeated their enemies but suffered heavy losses. My mother heard news of this and grieved greatly. She then decided to make me learn how to rule the area even faster than what I was already learning. About two weeks and some days later, Lilith starting being a little sick. It wasn't much, just some coughs. That night, I went to my mother for something and found out she was being attacked by some assassin. The assassin was a bit quicker than her, so he was able to kill her. I only saw the last few seconds of the battle. However, since the assassin didn't know I was there, I grabbed my sword and killed him. I held my mother in my hands as she gave her last words, saying that it was my time to rule now and how she loved us. After that, I raised security. I made sure this place was impenetrable. Initially, it was to prevent any more assassination attempts and the like. However, I also found out that my sister was getting worse. At some points, she would cough, have a high fever, be unable to get out of bed for a day or two. At other points, she could walk about and have some fun, with a bit of a cough. This went on for about 12 years. After that, she fell into more grave matters. She would stay in bed longer. She wouldn't have enough energy to do things by herself. During the first 12 years she was sick, I had a few scientists and mages help with finding out what was wrong and with making her feel better as well. They couldn't find anything but since it wasn't anything too serious, they thought that maybe it wouldn't get any worse. I thought it wouldn't get any worse either. It went by for 12 years, of course. But when it did get worse, I made more scientists and mages work. I went with a group of soldiers everyday to see if I could find something new that could possibly help. I never dared to venture out too far, since I couldn't risk dying. How could I leave my sister alone when I'm the only related family she has left? Of course, my people are also like family. She's currently 18 years old. I'm 28, so I've been taking care of her since I was 14 years old."

"So when you were out earlier," Annabelle said.

"That's right," Kaigan answered. "However, one of my soldiers found you and noted the rest of us. That's why we hid and attacked."

"I see," York stated. "But while I've agreed to help, how can we help you when you've already tried for two years? Melidia and I may be scientists and I know a few things with magic, but that's not much compared to the amount of people you have."

"You may have some flowers or herbs that can help. We've only searched around our area of West Coast, but Elvenguard is completely new to us," Kaigan reasoned. "You and Melidia may know things that we don't know as well. That bullet that May shot was something I've never seen before, so you may have some techniques and methods that we've never tried."

"Well, I suppose that is true," York replied.

"It was very hard to come back and tell my sister that I couldn't find anything time and time again. Now, I'm hoping I can say the opposite. Anyway, I think I've talked enough about that. The question I have now is: How do you plan on getting past Rothar?" Kaigan asked. "The entire area around the Magatha is filled with his guards."

"Indeed. There's no way we can possibly board the Magatha without alerting them," York stated. "That means our only chance will be by force."

"Do you want some reinforcements?" Kaigan asked. "I can give you plenty."

"I would accept, but I cannot for now," York replied. "I think you should keep your guards here. I have several guards of my own in my cards, and I'm just more comfortable with them. That isn't to say that your guards are not powerful."

Kaigan laughed, "I guess you have your own reasons."

"Well, I'm thinking about sneaking into the area where the Magatha is, and there are only so many places to hide with so many people. I also don't really want to endanger your guards. They have much to deal with already and I don't want them dying for our sakes."

"You think that's going to work?"

"It's worth a try. There are only so many ways to go about this."

"Well, feel free to rest for as long as you want until you need to leave. I'll have someone escort you to your rooms," Kaigan offered.

"Much appreciated," York accepted.

After eating, York, May and Annabelle were brought to their room. The room was luxurious with two magnificent beds. A refrigerator was in a corner of the room, a bathroom was to the right of it, and a closet faced the beds. A few chairs were placed next to one of the beds.

"So are we really going to try to sneak into the Magatha?" May asked while sitting on a bed.

York grabbed a chair and sat down. "Yes," he replied. "Most likely we'll have to incapacitate a few along the way, as I have a feeling Rothar would put guards up in places where people might hide. And if we can do that, then we still have the problem of escaping with the Magatha. As soon as it moves, everybody will know something's wrong and will try to get in."

"Can we beat them?" Annabelle asked, sitting next to May.

"We can try. Although now that I think about it, I might have another problem to worry about," York replied. "Suppose we succeed and you're back to Empyrean. I'll have to return and the first thing I'll see will be all of Rothar's minions waiting for me."

"Maybe you _should _use some reinforcements. Maybe launch an attack on Rothar so that he and his guards will be out of the picture?" May suggested.

"The problem is that we'll be fighting on Rothar's grounds. He has an extreme amount of guards and there's no information on what kind of defenses he has on his base." York reasoned.

"What do we do then?" Annabelle asked.

"Well, I'll just have to stick with my plan and hope for success. Since we've come this far, I'm not going to fail and let you guys stay here. If I have to sacrifice myself to get you to Empyrean, then so be it." York said.

"But you can't die!" Annabelle exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Annabelle," York smiled. "I'll think of something. I still have plenty of tricks up my sleeve. In any case, rest up for a bit. We won't stay long. It'll be night time soon and, while this means that security might be even greater, this could make moving about undetected easier. In the meantime, I'll tell Melidia about our new alliance so that in the case that I don't make it back, I can still uphold my part of helping to find a cure for Lilith's illness."

After about an hour of resting, night began to creep along. The gang stood outside of the building with Kaigan.

"Are you sure you don't want any help?" Kaigan asked.

"I'm sure," York replied. "By the way, I've made this card and I'd like you to have it, along with this device."

York handed the items to Kaigan

"How come?" Kaigan wondered.

"The card shows my health status. In the case of me dying, you'll know about it and can tell Melidia with that device. I've already explained it to her so if I don't make it back, she can still help you out. Since Shaku is gone, it should be safe enough for both groups to come here," York explained. "Of course, only a precautionary thing, as I don't plan on dying."

"Of course," Kaigan accepted the items. "Good luck on your journey."

"Thank you," York said. "I'll try to be back soon."

"Maybe we'll see you guys again," May added.

"And good luck to you," Annabelle smiled.

The group started walking the other way.

"Perhaps, and thank you," Kaigan replied.

After 15 minutes of walking, York and the girls came back to the location where they fought Kaigan previously. They entered a pathway and turned left. After walking a few minutes, they turned right and headed straight. After a few twists and turns, they could see the top of a large building around a corner of a narrow path.

"That should be Rothar's place," York whispered. "We're getting close, so we should probably enter one of these buildings and see if we can move across them on the roofs. The buildings are close enough to jump over."

"What if there are guards on the roofs?" May asked.

"That's why we tread carefully and sneak about," York replied.

A deep voice suddenly said, "You don't need to sneak about."

York backed May and Annabelle back and was ready to strike. "How did you know we were here, Rothar?" He asked.

A large man jumped down from a nearby building. He wore a dark jacket with matching pants with special shoes that look too metallic. His left hand was full of flesh and muscles while his right was completely robotic. He had a strong build. With a triangle-shaped face with spiky, black hair and cold, gray eyes, his appearance showed a man that was not to be messed with.

"Something I created," Rothar answered. He held out a finger and an insect flew onto it. "This little guy saw you and alerted me."

"So you have security even all the way out here?" York questioned. "We aren't even that close to your headquarters."

Rothar smiled. "Truth be told, I saw that Shaku was nowhere to be found when I was in one of my rooms. Then I looked some more and found you walking with these girls. I figured you had something to do with it and I decided that this was the perfect time to check things out. So I headed out and had this little guy search for you while I hid above the roofs."

"If it's a fight you want, it would've been better if I was closer to your base." York stated.

"Oh, I'm not here to fight," Rothar replied. "I'm here for those girls."

"Why do you want them?"

"Haha, I think this will interest you. You see, I've been trying for a while now to create a device that can bring people back to life. You and I, we have something in common. We both have lost a loved one. You and Anne, me and Eve. I've tried for months and years, but I've finally done it. I can bring them back to life."

"I can't trust you. How do I know that this is true?"

"I figured you might doubt me. That's why I brought a little friend who you might remember." Rothar called out a dog. "You remember this guy that you killed?"

"I know you have a dog, but that could be any dog that looks like your old one."

"Oh? Why don't you have a look at the spot where you stabbed him?"

York looked at the back of the dog. He noticed a spot where stitches were placed.

"And not only that, your sword went through his entire body. So have a look at this." Rothar grabbed the dog and showed York the belly side. There were more stitches. "As you can see from the back and the front, the stitches are placed on opposite sides, as if your sword pierced through those spots."

"I suppose you _did _bring him back to life. What was the process on bringing him back?"

"Very simple. I just have to sacrifice the closest animal that is similar to them. Since he's a dog, I can make do with any dog or puppy. Gender, however, does matter."

"If that's the case, then can't you just use one of your own henchmen?"

"Oh, I could never do such a thing, York. I can't lose my peopl-"

"Cut the crap. I know you would sacrifice them in a heartbeat."

Rothar smiled. "Heh, you're right! I did try a few experiments out with some other dead people. However, there's a problem with that. See, it extracts a soul from a live human so that it can be transported to the body of the dead. But the extracted souls still contain some personality. A resurrected human would have their normal personalities and ideals and such, normally. It's just like how my dog still acts the same way before you died. But the new souls I tried conflicted with the original person. In other words, the souls of the people I've used were corrupted."

"There's a shocker."

"Joke all you want, but I can't help it if all of my people have been corrupted by living in Arad."

"Not everyone is corrupted, you know."

"Oh, I know. And I'm sure those girls behind you are pure enough. I may not know everyone in Arad, but I know for a fact those girls do not belong here. They're still young, they haven't lived in this world, they could probably be the solution to my problem. If I can get good results with them, then I can just take the new human and reuse that soul!"

"You're mad! Why would I ever give these girls to you?!"

"I have a proposition! As I've said, we have something in common. There are two girls behind you. I can use one for my Eve and the other for your Anne! Think about it. Remember all those times you were with Anne? How you were so happy with her and your other friends? Don't you want to go back to those times? You would be able to continue your love, just as I can continue mine. We've spent many days, weeks, and months without them. In just the next few days, we can get them back. And if not, then we can find others to experiment. Anne is waiting for you, York. And you can get her back."

York stood still and didn't say a word.

"York's not going to accept, right?" Annabelle asked May.

"Of course not. He made a promise to us. He wouldn't cast us aside...At least, I don't think. York is taking longer than I thought with saying no," May nervously replied. "No, I shouldn't think that. He's just remembering Anne because of what Rothar said. He'll come to and decline, I'm sure of it."

After a few seconds, York decided on his answer.

"I will accept your offer."


	11. The Promise

Chapter 11: The Promise

"What?!" May cried out in disbelief. "York! You can't be serious!"

"Yeah! You're lying!" Annabelle joined in.

"Excellent choice, York!" Rothar laughed. "Now then, if we-"

"Not so fast, Rothar," York interrupted. "I have conditions that must be met."

"And they would be?" Rothar asked.

York began, "Since I cannot completely trust you right now, I will have my Jokers guard the girls. Should there be any indication of you trying to harm them or cheat me out, we will escape. Or if I must, I will have these girls killed. Absolutely no danger must be present to us. I also have to be in the room when the process occurs. To my understanding, from what you've said, there's a need for a soul from a live human but I did not hear about the resurrected needing a body. Anne's body is still in her grave. I will need more details."

"Is that all?" Rothar asked.

"Yes, I believe that about settles it. Just in case, I will stick close to the girls with my weapons in hand," York replied.

"Very well, I have no problems with those conditions," Rothar stated.

York called forth four Jokers. "I expect you all to protect these girls from everyone except me. Understand?" He commanded.

"Roger!" the Jokers exclaimed.

The Jokers moved into a square position. Each Joker stood at a corner, five feet from each other.

"All ready to go then?" Rothar asked.

"We are," York replied.

"All right, I'll tell you more about the process while we get there," Rothar stated.

They began to follow Rothar. Annabelle held onto May's right hand while May was thinking of the situation.

_I can't believe York actually accepted. He made a promise to us! We're so close to the end! He seemed cruel at first, but from just the few days we've been here, he seemed to be a genuinely nice guy. He has two close friends to count on. He could talk to me and Annabelle about his past. He made it clear that he wanted to get us back to Empyrean. So why choose to throw us away now? Sure, Anne may be the one he loved and would like to get back, but how would she react if she was brought back? He made a promise to Anne and the both of us to make Arad better, too. That means he'll have to take down Rothar eventually. There's not even a guarantee that Rothar will actually succeed with bringing Anne back. In any case, the minute everyone's guard is down, I might just have to escape with Annabelle and try to get on the Magatha by myself. Don't know if I'll actually succeed but it's better than just waiting around to die._

As they walked, Rothar explained the process of bringing someone back to life.

"It took me many years to develop this thing," he began. "I got started because I remembered some special things about bringing people back to life. There used to be a large group known as Crusaders. They went down the holy path, being righteous and supporting their allies. With enough experience, they learned how to bring someone back to life should that person die. But that spell they use can only be cast when a person is still alive. And it was only temporary."

"So you went on to find a way to do the same for someone who was already dead," York stated.

"Exactly," Rothar replied. "Crusaders made me look further on resurrection. Surely there must be other ways to revive people. And there was! Have you ever heard of Revive Tokens?"

"I have not," York replied.

"Haha, it's not surprising!" Rothar laughed. "These Revive Tokens were ancient artifacts that could, as the name says, revive someone. However, these tokens don't exist anymore. But the properties on those tokens were amazing. If you were to die, you could be brought back to life all by yourself. Since your body is immovable when you die, the only explanation would be that your own soul could activate the tokens. Yet, if you were to travel with some friends and you all had tokens, a person could revive another dead person with their own tokens. One of the greatest magic lied in those tokens. And I sought to create something similar. I looked over hundreds of books, worked countless days on machinery, and made many mages help me out. Finally, it was complete. But it wasn't exactly like the Revive Tokens. Unlike those, I needed sacrifices. Now here is how it goes: The first thing, of course, is that you need a sacrifice. After that, you bring them to the room and put them in one of two large containers. We can either look up a database on what the person looks like or hook up wires to your head so that the device can generate an image of your desired person. Once the soul has been extracted from the sacrifice, the other container, which also has a bed, will create your person's body back along with the soul. It's an incredible process. Even when only a face is available on the database, the body is restored perfectly. It's like the souls of our loved ones are just out of our reach, and when we bring them back, their souls bring their bodies back as well, like they're both connected even if the body isn't present."

"Interesting," York replied. "So what happens if your new body sees his or her own corpse in a grave or something?"

"Don't know! They still retain their memories from before they resurrected but how they react to it depends on the person," Rothar answered.

They approached Rothar's headquarters. Guards stood by every five feet. The walls were lined up with guards, and the various buildings and roofs around the area were secured as well. Rothar's building was a large, cylindrical building. Oddly enough, a rectangular prism-addition laid on top of the building. Lights could be seen flickering from several of the windows. Weapons poked out from other windows and on the roof. A path to the right of the building went to the Magatha, secured with even more guards.

"Quite a stronghold you have here," York stated.

"Always have to be safe, of course," Rothar replied.

They entered the building. Inside, even more guards lined up the walls. Hallways connected and rooms were situated between guards. Several stairs went to the next floor. Bright, white lights illuminated the place.

"I assume you have guards lined up the same way on every floor above as well?" York questioned.

"You'd be right," Rothar replied.

_Dang, _May thought. _With so many of Rothar's goons around, my chances of escaping dropped drastically. I'll have to think of something to get past them. But what?!_

As they climbed higher and higher, May grew more nervous as she tried to devise a plan. After a few minutes of climbing, they reached a door that was blank. Whereas all the other rooms were marked with things such as "Training," "Information," and "Experimentation," this lone door stood unmarked. For May and Annabelle, it felt as though that door was their final door in that house called life. Rothar opened the door and the rest followed.

The inside of the room was similar to that of the room which Lilith was situated in. Several computers were lined up on a table. Wires ran throughout the area. Assorted technological sounds beeped and clinked about. The place had an eerie, green glow. In the middle stood a large device. As Rothar said, there were two containers, one of which had a bed. Between the containers was a large, rectangular machine that connected the containers together.

"Here it is, my greatest invention ever," Rothar said. "I'll show you the process with a different guy first. Bring him in!"

A door to the right side of the room opened and a man was brought in by two guards. The man struggled to break free as he was pushed closer and closer to the large machine.

"Let me go!" The man shouted. "Damn it, Rothar! You think you can do this to someone who served you for years!"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Rothar replied with a smirk. "Put him in."

"I swear to Cain I am going to kill you," the man threatened as he was forced into the container.

"Now then, let's see. Who should we revive?" Rothar wondered. "Maybe Kotetsu."

"I know all about your stupid machine's flaws!" the man yelled as he hit the container while Rothar continued looking up his database. "Once you get the guy back, he'll have a bit of my personality! Because of you, my soul's corrupted enough to take over his emotions a bit. Using me just for show for your new little friend? Hah! I'll be back to take your life!"

"Alright, Kotetsu it is! He's a nice guy, but this guy's soul will make him be just a little mad. Good enough proof for York," Rothar stated, ignoring the man's words.

Rothar pressed a button and the machine turned on. Lights flickered, sounds hummed, and the man's body started to disappear. The man screamed in agony as his soul was sucked into the center of the machine. When the man fully disappeared, the soul started to move to the other container. As the soul moved, a body started fading in. A man appeared and opened his eyes.

"Where am I?" Kotetsu asked.

"Ah, Kotetsu, good to see you're back," Rothar stated.

"Rothar? What am I doing here?" Kotetsu asked. "I remember I died while trying to steal some food."

"I brought you back to life," Rothar replied. "There's only one problem."

"Problem? What's the problem?" Kotetsu asked, starting to sound a little threatening.

"The problem is that I need to sacrifice a soul to bring you back," Rothar explained. "And the guy I sacrificed had a bad soul. I'm afraid you won't be like your old self."

"What do you mean by that? I'm still the same old Kotetsu!" Kotetsu raised his voice.

"I'm afraid not. Look, you're starting to not be calm. You always kept a level head," Rothar replied.

"I'm completely calm! You bring me back to life and then tell me I'm not myself?!" Kotetsu angrily yelled.

Rothar sighed. "Alright, lock him up," he commanded.

Guards grabbed Kotetsu and started to take him out of the room. "Oh so now you're choosing to lock me up?! After you just brought me back?! Just you wait, Rothar, I'll-"

Kotetsu was cut off once the door closed behind him.

"As you can see, corrupt soul means corrupt person," Rothar said. "But you've seen it in action, so all we need is a pure soul and we'll be golden."

"It is interesting, indeed," York replied. "Very well, let's get started."

_This is it_, May thought. _I have to do something now!_

Annabelle held on tight to May's hand.

"Get down!" York commanded.

_What?!_, May wondered before both she and Annabelle were brought down by the two Jokers in the back. York and the two Jokers in the front each threw several cards to the guards and Rothar. The cards stuck to them while they were startled and exploded. The guards, all robotic, loss functioning while Rothar was pushed back to a wall.

"You two Jokers get the girls to the Magatha! Take down anyone in your path and do not let them get hurt!" York directed. "Meanwhile, you two Jokers fill this place up with any magic cards you have. Don't worry about me, I'll get to the Magatha somehow. Just start it up and leave!"

"Roger!" all the Jokers exclaimed. They all ran out of the room. A few sounds of metal being destroyed could be heard. Rothar staggered back up.

"You could have had your Anne back. You could have had her if you had just used those girls. But you've lost your chance. Once I'm through with you, those girls will be mine!" Rothar angrily yelled.

"I'm afraid I'm not letting you use this machine anymore," York replied. He attached several cards to the machine.

"And I'm afraid to let you know that you can't blow up the machine with your measly cards," Rothar smirked.

"I guess I'll have to kill you then," York stated.

"I like to see you try," Rothar taunted.

"But first, let's see just how well your machine can stand up to my cards," York attached one more card to the machine.

First, smoke began to appear. The smoke covered the entire room and then a sizzling sound could be heard. Right afterward, a large explosion occurred. When the smoke settled enough for Rothar to see the machine, the machine stood unharmed.

"Hah, I told you that you can't destroy this machine!" Rothar bragged.

But York was not in the room anymore. During the sound of the explosion, York slipped out of the room and escaped.

"Think you can escape? Not on my watch!" Rothar ran out of the room. Little did York know that Rothar had actually replaced his legs with robotic parts as well. He heard York running on the floors above him and quickly followed. Rothar did see a few of his guards down, peculiarly some with a strange type of bullet. When York reached the roof, which was surrounded by a five-foot wall, and peered over to the Magatha, he saw groups of guards down and the Magatha slowly starting to move.

"Great, they've already boarded the ship," York said.

"The only thing you're boarding is the ship straight to a terrible afterlife," Rothar said near the door.

"Sorry, I can't board something that's already been reserved for you," York quipped.

"You think you're such a wise guy," Rothar replied.

"Considering I tricked you into bringing us into your base and successfully got those girls onto the Magatha, I'd say I'm a wise _actor_," York retorted.

"But are you a _good fighter_?" Rothar ran right up to York and slammed straight into the spot York was standing. York only barely dodged the attack.

_Not good_, York thought. _His speed is incredible._

York teleported himself to another spot and tried to use an electric attack. The card threw out several diamonds filled with electricity. Rothar simply blocked the diamonds. York brought out the same floating card swords he used to fight Kaigan. He charged at Rothar, slashing at every angle possible. A few cuts were made on Rothar's human arm, but nowhere else. Rothar landed a strong kick to York and sent him flying towards the wall near the door.

May and Annabelle peered out to the roof from the Magatha and saw York and Rothar fighting.

"This is bad, York seems to be losing right now," May grimly said.

"We have to do something!" Annabelle cried out.

"But we can't!" May exclaimed. "We're too far away, and getting farther head by the second. The only thing we can hope is that York figures out a way to beat Rothar.

York struggled to crouch. _Fighting Rothar doesn't seem to be such a good idea. My physical attacks haven't done much against him except for some cuts on his flesh. But even my magic attacks aren't much on his metallic parts. And I won't be able to reach the Magatha if this keeps up for any longer. _York began to stand up._ In that case, there's only one thing left I can try. _As he got up, he dropped a card behind. With another teleport, he appeared in another spot and dropped a card down. Rothar wouldn't let York teleport much more, as he rushed after York. York dodged Rothar's charge and quickly moved to another area, dropping yet another card. Rothar stretched out his hand and shot several particles of energy from his palm. York ran to avoid a few of the shots, but then threw several of his cards to counter them. As he countered, he laid down another card. Rothar then decided to use his fingers, which shot out hundreds of bullets a second. York was forced to put up a card shield and run. However, thanks to the shield, York was able to lay down another card to the ground. But as York was busy running and thinking of whether he had enough cards, Rothar was able to grab him and throw him to the wall opposite of the door. With another impact to the wall, York's body was covered in pain.

"I guess you're _not_ a good fighter!" Rothar said, slowly walking towards York. "You barely put a scratch on me. Heck, you were just running away from me most of the time! I'm going to enjoy torturing you before I kill you." But little did Rothar know that he was walking towards the center of the ring of cards that York was able to place. As soon as he reached the center, York smiled.

"Diamondize!" York exclaimed. All the cards were raised slightly in the air and faced towards Rothar. All the cards were diamonds and they glowed immensely. Rothar was confused by what was happening but found himself unable to move. When he looked at his feet, he found a crystal forming over them and gradually covering the rest of his body. Rothar struggled to break free. Only his face was uncovered.

"Damn it!" Rothar yelled. "Don't think you won just because you got me in here!"

"Oh I believe I've won," York replied with a smirk as he stood up. "With being encased in pretty much the hardest, natural material, you won't be getting out of there anytime soon."

"So what? You can't kill me by stabbing me in the face," Rothar stated. "You know I've done modifications to my body. My face was no exception. I bet you want to know how I did it."

"Quite frankly, I don't really care right now," York replied. "I have to leave right now."

York climbed up the wall. _I sincerely hope this will be enough to bring me to the Magatha. I just don't know if I have the energy left to make it,_ York thought. He produced a large floating card, about three feet long and stepped over it. The card started to fly towards the Magatha.

"York did it!" May happily exclaimed. "He's coming here right now!"

Annabelle cheered and hugged May.

When York was about halfway to the Magatha, York witnessed a terrible sight. His card started to slowly fade out. _Not now! Not now!_ York screamed in his head.

"York's in trouble!" Annabelle yelled.

"Jokers! Can't you do something to grab him?" May asked.

"We should be able to!" the Jokers happily replied.

Before the card faded out completely, York jumped as far as he could. At that moment, the Jokers each cast a long line of cards. Two lines of cards each wrapped around York's hands. All seemed to be well but Rothar's screams could be heard. As it turns out, Rothar continued to struggle to break free while York approached the Magatha. At this point, Rothar gathered all his strength and succeeded in breaking through diamond casing. Rothar jumped onto the wall and then jumped off the building with his robotic legs. From there, he activated his rockets from the soles of his shoes and flew himself towards York.

"I will kill all of you!" Rothar yelled.

The Jokers were too busy holding onto the line of cards that held York, and York was not in any shape to retaliate because of those cards. But in the most critical time of all, something smiled upon them. Annabelle took out her gun and shot a single bullet towards Rothar. As Rothar flew, the ship moved, the distance great, and the night dark, the bullet traveled all the way and hit Rothar directly on his head. With a small shock before completely immobilizing Rothar, he fell straight down to the ground. York turned to the ship to see Annabelle still holding her gun. She was shocked to see that the bullet connected, just as everyone else was. With the danger now gone, the Jokers pulled York up to the ship without worry.

"Thank you, Jokers." York said as he stood. "And thank you, Annabelle. That was a very nice shot."

"You can count on me!" Annabelle replied with a smile.

"Looks like she did save you from an attack from behind after all," May said.

"Indeed," York laughed.

"So are you alright?" May asked York.

"I can move about fine, albeit with some pain. I figure once I wake up after a nice rest, my body will be quite sore. But other than that, I'm fine," York replied.

"Well I guess that's better than being dead," May sighed in relief.

"Of course," York replied. "Now then, we still have one thing left to do with Rothar's base. Have you set up the base with as many cards as you could?" York asked the two Jokers who had the job.

"Yeap! About 200 cards each!" the two Jokers replied.

"Excellent," York said. "Destroy the area."

The Jokers grabbed a card, and with a snap of their fingers, made the card disappear. Suddenly, Rothar's base and a small area around it began to be encased in ice. After the ice formed, lightning could be seen inside it. The lightning danced and grew inside it until everything was cracked into pieces. But that was not the end. After the scattering touch of extremely high voltage, a fire erupted to completely obliterate the buildings. In the black, murky night of Arad, the fire was a beacon of hope. The fire did not last long, but it was a spectacularly sight to see. The several buildings that were once there were now gone, the area covered in ashes and debris. The night was dark again, but the sun would rise soon. York returned the Jokers to their cards and they all went inside the Magatha.


	12. A Gentleman's Kindness

Chapter 12: A Gentleman's Kindness

"I apologize for not telling you of my new plan," York said as they sat on some chairs surrounding a table.

"That definitely took me by surprise," May replied. "I was trying to think of my own plan to get us out of there. Then you said to get down and suddenly my mind was racing on what was going on."

"Again, very sorry. But when Rothar found us out, obviously our plan couldn't work. So I thought of a new one when he made his proposition," York explained. "Your reactions helped in proving to Rothar that I was serious about using you. I would have showed you, some way, that I was merely bluffing but I couldn't. Even though Rothar was not facing me as we walked, I couldn't risk it with his guards standing by every several feet. There was a chance that they could have seen you reading something or figuring something out and report it to Rothar, no matter how minor it seemed. I had to make sure that Rothar trusted in me completely so that I could betray him. It worked out well enough."

"Yeah, we're finally getting back to Empyrean!" Annabelle exclaimed.

"This must be exciting for you as it is for us, York," May said. "It's been a long time since you've been here."

York leaned back on his chair, crossed his arms, and looked up at the ceiling. "I don't know if it's because I've gotten used to Arad, but I'm not terribly excited to go back. A little nervous, yes, but not giddy."

"Not even a little bit excited?" May asked.

"I don't know," York replied. "I haven't seen my family in years. My family now is Melidia and Brunt. It would be interesting to see what has changed over the years, but at the same time, if a lot has happened, then it's not even remotely the same world as before. We'll see, I suppose. Oh, and we should get started on writing out the message."

York took out a large sign with markers and several white flags with magic connectors.

"Since we're not in the middle ocean yet, we'll wait until we've passed it to mount the flags. It'll take a few hours to get from here to Empyrean, so we can write out the message to get the Empyrean guards' attention."

After a few minutes of thinking what to put on the sign, they came up with the following:

_Rothar is dead! We come in peace! If you have heard of a recent kidnapping where two girls were taken into the Middle Ocean and down to Arad, these are the two girls. I have brought them back. REPEAT: WE COME IN PEACE!_

They rested up for a bit while the Magatha was in the ocean. A little bit after the Magatha surfaced, they went outside to attach the flags.

"These flags are very simple to connect to the ship with these connectors. Simply hold them at the spot where you want the flags to be attached, and the connectors will surround the flag pole and attach to the ship with magic," York explained.

A few minutes passed before they initiated their plan. York kept one of the flags so that he could wave it and the girls held the sign. Over at the Empyrean Gates, several Empyrean guards saw the incoming ship.

"Is Rothar trying to attack?" asked one guard.

Another guard had a telescope and peered through. "Hm, I see a lot of white flags. Hold on, I see some people. They're holding a sign. They say they come in peace. Have we heard of any kidnappings? Apparently there are two girls on the ship who were kidnapped."

"There was one," another one answered. "A teenager and a little kid."

"Yeah, that Trake guy robbed a bank and kidnapped those girls as hostages," a different guard added.

"If that's the case, then it seems we don't have much to worry about," the second guard said. "Keep your guard up, however."

The guards allowed the Magatha to stop at Empyrean. York and the girls took their first steps back onto the Empyrean world.

"Are you the girls who were kidnapped by a man named Trake several days ago?" one of the guards asked.

"Yes," May answered. "He took us and jumped down into Arad. We've come back safely because of York."

"I was under the impression that Arad was filled with evil," a guard stated.

"Not as much as it used to be. Two of the rulers, Rothar and Shaku, are dead. I plan on making Arad a better place, and I have an alliance with the ruler, Kaigan. I may require some of your assistance in the future, but you do not have to agree to help us. We do have a good amount of soldiers because of the alliance," York explained.

"I see. So we have no worries of attacks?" a guard asked.

"Most likely. The only people close to the Magatha now is Kaigan and her soldiers. Rothar's base and the area around it has been destroyed. If you know the layout of Arad, then West Coast, Hendon Myre, and Elvenguard are all safe," York replied.

"Very well then. Have a nice day," a guard said. All the guards went back to their posts.

York and the girls began walking. May and Annabelle took the lead. York gazed all around him at the new buildings and sights.

"It's indeed different from what I remembered," York said. "Although it's still a lot better than Arad."

"Do you like it?" Annabelle asked.

"Well, it's pleasant," York replied. "I wouldn't mind living here, but our base is probably a lot better than most of the buildings here."

They appeared before a medium-sized house. The neighborhood around looked clean and inviting. The appealing suburbs made a stark contrast to Arad's building conditions. May knocked on the door. A man opened it.

"May, Annabelle, it's you!" he gasped. He gave them both a big hug. "Isabella, come here!"

A woman appeared and began to cry. "Oh my goodness, you're back! I thought we lost you forever!"

"We're fine, and it's all thanks to York," May said.

"He used to live here in Empyrean!" Annabelle added.

"How could we ever thank you?" May's dad asked.

"Don't mention it," York replied. "Although, is the cemetery close by?"

"If you go to the left from here and walk until the third right, and then turn left after that, you'll see it," May's dad replied.

"Thank you," York said. He went on his way.

"I'm gonna go with York," May said. "He might want some company or some help around. Part of his family died when he was still here."

"I'm going too," Annabelle stated.

They both followed York. "We'll be back soon, I promise!" May said.

Their parents were surprised but they didn't object. They were happy that their daughters were back safe and sound.

When York reached the cemetery, he spent a few minutes wandering around, trying to see if part of his family were buried there. Just as he neared the end of his search, he found his parents' graves. He noticed his brother and a few of his friends were buried next to them.

"Looks like they got a proper burial after all. I forgot to ask, have you ever heard of a gang called the Revolver Riders?" York asked May.

"Yeah, but I heard from a few policemen that they arrested the last guy about 10 years ago," May replied.

"I see," York said. "Suppose I don't need to go after them now." He said half-jokingly. He conjured a few flowers to put on the graves. "I wonder if my other brother and sisters are still around."

"We could probably find out. We know your last name now, and you know their first names, so maybe we can have the police help," May suggested.

York shook his head, "No, I don't think I'll bother. They most likely went into hiding and probably changed their names to avoid the Revolver Riders. However, if you want to, I won't stop you. If they're still around and hear of me looking for them, then they can at least know I'm still alive and can possibly see them again. But I can't stay here for long and I have to better Arad, so it may be a while until we're reunited. In any case, I'll go look for one more thing before I leave."

York left the cemetery while May and Annabelle followed. He walked for a few minutes in a different part of Empyrean that May and Annabelle never went to before. He stopped in front of a worn down building.

"Doesn't seem like the house has been taken care of, however," York stated. "I don't blame people though, after what happened and all. Maybe I'll furbish the building if I have some time."

He walked into the dark, damaged living room. May and Annabelle stayed near the door. A few chairs were toppled over and various items were on the floor. York picked up a picture frame. The frame covered a photo of his entire family. A few tears rolled down his cheek.

"Hope you're all doing fine, wherever you are," York said. He got up, wiped his tears, and placed them on a fireplace.

"Do you want to stay at our house for today?" May asked. "There's also a hot spring close by that you can use. No point in going back to Arad all sore, right? You can rest for as long as you need. I'm sure our parents won't mind."

York turned to May and smiled a little. "I suppose it can't hurt," he replied.

The next day, York and the girls returned to the Magatha.

"This is it, then," York began. "It'll be the first day that I won't be around."

"While it was pretty bad in Arad, I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy my time in Arad. It was exciting," May replied.

"We'll see each other again, right?" Annabelle asked.

"Yes, Annabelle. I promise," York replied.

"Pinky promise?" Annabelle asked, extending her pinky out.

"Pinky promise," York replied, hooking his pinky with hers.

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you for reading this far. Feel free to tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, what could've been better, etc. I enjoyed this idea for a while, but the news of DFO closing down in April shot my interest quick in finishing this story. Despite that, I still very much liked the idea of it, and thanks to a review over the summer, I was able to finish it. I _may_ do some more fanfics, but I have no ideas so far or have a series in mind to write.

Also, to answer one of the reviews, very sorry but I won't continue to make more DFO fanfics unless I have a very good idea to use. I don't play the game anymore (some others are playing on the Chinese and Korean versions) and I never really watched the anime. Even if I did write one, it wouldn't be the same as what the original author intended for his story, so my Slap Up Party fic would not be the Slap Up Party fic you might expect from him. You could write up a story of your own. Get other people to enjoy your work, ya know? Again, very sorry, but I hope you all enjoyed this. Thanks again.


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